Smash Mouth Lead Singer Steve Harwell Dead at 56

Steve Harwell, the former lead singer of the rock band Smash Mouth, which was best known for its 1999 hit “All Star,” died on Monday.

His death, at his home in Boise, Idaho, was confirmed by the band’s manager, Robert Hayes, who said the cause was liver failure. He said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably” Monday morning surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho. The cause of death was acute liver failure, Hayes said in a statement. Smash Mouth was known for hits including All Star and Then the Morning Comes. Humour was a driving force behind Smash Mouth’s success, and at the forefront was Harwell’s playful alt-rock voice and persona. He made a cameo in 2001 comedy film Rat Race, and had a well-documented friendship with the Food Network chef and host Guy Fieri. (The internet often joked that the two were the same person.)

Smash Mouth skyrocketed to fame in the early 2000s with hits like “All Star,” which was made even more famous after it was on the “Shrek” soundtrack. The band had other big hits, including “Walkin’ on the Sun,” “Then The Morning Comes,” as well as a cover of The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.”