Steve Harwell has been admitted to hospice care, following news that the Smash Mouth frontman’s battle with liver failure has entered its final stages. Harwell had been receiving treatment for his illness in hospital throughout much of last month, but has since been relocated to a hospice as his condition worsens.
The 56-year-old has been battling health issues for nearly a decade, having been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in 2015. Since then, the frontman has reportedly endured bouts of heart failure and an acute Wernicke encephalopathy diagnosis, as well as liver failure in more recent years.
Speaking of his condition with TMZ, Harwell’s manager said the singer is in the midst of ‘the final stage of liver failure’ and only has ‘a week or so’ left to live. It has also been reported that Harwell welcomed friends and family to his at-home hospice care to say their final goodbyes.
The news comes two years after Harwell retired from Smash Mouth due to deteriorating health. In 2021, the singer stepped back from the iconic band following a controversial performance at Big Sip festival, in which he was seen slurring words and making crude gestures, both of which were later described by a representative as “symptoms” of his medical conditions.
At the time, Harwell used the opportunity to recount his wild ride as a Smash Mouth member, saying he “tried so hard” to overcome his condition and remain a bandmate, before thanking fans for the band’s success.
Harwell was replaced as Smash Mouth’s vocalist by Zach Goode last year. Throughout their decades-long career, Smash Mouth has released ten albums and multiple smash hits, including “All Star” and “I’m A Believer”, both of which formed the soundtrack of Shrek.
“Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a rockstar performing in front of sold-out arenas,” Harwell told TMZ in 2021. “I have been so fortunate to live out that dream.”