Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell, best known for 'All Star' from the Shrek soundtrack, tragically passed away today at the age of 56.
Band manager Robert Hayes confirmed the musician had died from liver failure in a statement to Rolling Stone.
Hayes said Harwell ‘passed peacefully and comfortably’ at his home in Idaho while ‘surrounded by family and friends’.
“Steve’s legacy will live on through the music,” he added.
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“With Steve, Smash Mouth has sold over 10 million albums worldwide-wide and topped the charts with two #1 hit singles, five Top 40 singles, three Hot 100 singles, four Billboard 200 albums and a Grammy nomination not to mention the hundreds of film and television placements and of course those musical features in Shrek."
And now fans are flooding Harwell’s last post to X (formerly Twitter) with tributes to the singer.
Back in December 2020, the Smash Mouth star was sharing how the band was still receiving millions of streams on Spotify as he shared the Spotify Wrapped stats.
Turns out in 2020, 29.6 million people were listening to the band behind ‘All Star’ and ‘I’m a Believer’.
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And fans are now flooding into the replied of the tweet to pay their respects.
One wrote: “You will be missed. Thank you for bringing joy through your music."
“You were an All Star,” another said.
Another put: “Smash Mouth defined my childhood. Thank you Steve.”
And others simply said: “Rest in Peace legend.”
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Many called Harwell the ‘ultimate all star in our hearts’ as fans said he ‘really made one of the songs that signed my childhood’.
The band also shared their own tribute to X, writing: “Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle. Steve will be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom.
“Rest in peace knowing you aimed for the stars, and magically hit your target. Rest easy.”
While many may be remembering Harwell as the voice of ‘All Star’, an absolute key song from the film Shrek, it turns out the original songwriter never wanted it to be a part of the Noughties animation.
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Band member Greg Camp, who wrote the song, told Songfacts: "Back then, that’s what it was – you don’t put your songs in commercials. Maybe a cool film or something.
“Even Shrek, I was kind of like, ‘Well, this is going to put us into this sort of Disney zone, and we’re going to have to stay there and we’re going to have to be writing for children and families now. I don’t think that we should do that.’”
But, thankfully, Harwell’s voice became a big part of the film, where it will live on.
Jess Battison