Celebs Pay Tribute to Steve Harwell, Former Smash Mouth Lead Singer Dead at 56

According to TMZ, per Harwell’s manager, the musician — who was the lead singer of Smash Mouth until his retirement in 2021 — died on Monday morning at his Boise, Idaho home due to liver failure following health issues stemming from alcohol abuse. The sad news came just one day after TMZ reported that Harwell was receiving hospice care at this home and was told he only had days to live.

Following his passing, stars and Smash Mouth fans took to social media to pay tribute to Harwell.

The official Smash Mouth X (formerly Twitter) account posted a statement, 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.”

NSYNC members Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone both shared tributes on Instagram.

“Rest easy my friend. I’m truly sorry for the difficult battle you had to fight. You were an amazing soul and will be deeply missed,” Kirkpatrick wrote alongside a photo of Harwell.

“Known this dude for a very long time.. opened for NSync and even was my wedding singer at my wedding,” Fatone captioned his tribute, sharing a throwback shot of himself and Harwell together. “We had some good times ! Sad all things must come to an end and some times too soon due to things that are past fixing because too much damage has been done .. but let’s be real its never too late! Hopefully people out there that are dealing with addiction. get the right help that they need. Its a crazy world we live in now ..thinking /praying for all … RIP Steve!”

Guy Fieri also mourned Harwell’s passing on Instagram, sharing a selfie of the two of them together.

“To my brutha Steve. RIP. Today is a sad day, I will miss my friend,” he captioned the post.

Meanwhile, Carson Daly shared not one, but two posts on Instagram, in which he opened up about his friendship with Harwell. The TV host recalled his fond memories of Harwell and Smash Mouth dating all the way back to when he first met the band in 1995.

Daly said he last saw Harwell back in 2016 when he performed on the TODAY show. “We hugged like long lost bros & got caught up on each others lives,” Daly wrote.

He ended his two-part heartfelt tribute by praising Harwell and shared how he’ll remember the late musician.

“I’ll always remember all the laughs (Steve could have the room in stitches when he got on a roll, he was so quick witted) the gigs (I played guitar on stage at a show I’ll never forget in San Jose) It was a magical time,” Daly wrote. “In better days, Steve was a force of a frontman & lived the life of 50 men. He brought joy to millions with his music and his legacy will thankfully live on. I hope in his final days & hours, surrounded by family & friends he found comfort. He’s in a better place now for sure. Thanks for the good times Steve. You’re home with little Presley now. Rejoice & Rest in peace. ❤️”

See more tributes in the posts, below.

Harwell founded Smash Mouth alongside Kevin Coleman, Paul De Lisle, and Greg Camp in 1994. The rock band — who rose to fame with their 1999 album, Astro Lounge — is best known for hits such as “All Star,” “Then The Morning Comes,” and a cover of The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer,” which was featured on the Shrek soundtrack.