Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell's past health issues have been following his death.
Harwell entered hospice care with only days to live as his liver failure was in the final stages. His representative confirmed in a statement to Entertainment Weekly on Sunday that his family and friends visited him in the past three days before his death hours after entering a medical facility.
"Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life," Smash Mouth said in a statement on Instagram. "Burning brightly across the universe before burning out. Good night Heevo Veev. Rest in peace knowing you aimed for the stars, and magically hit your target."
Smash Mouth Frontman Steve Harwell's Health Issues Before Death Explored
Harwell's death occurred after his long battle with liver failure caused by his alcohol abuse for years.
The frontman showed signs of the disease's physical effects in October 2021 during a Smash Mouth concert in Bethel, New York, as he slurred his speech while cursing and making threats. A viral video captured him drinking and flashing his middle fingers throughout the performance amid the issues with the PA system.
Prior to the show, Harwell had already taken a break because of cardiomyopathy and heart failure, and the issues led him to miss some of the band's performances and shows.
In 2017, he was rushed to a hospital before a Smash Mouth concert as he started to have trouble breathing. According to a news outlet, he hailed an Uber at that time and got himself to the hospital.
His doctors detected his heart condition a year prior and explained that those were the reasons why he had not been feeling well four days before the soundcheck. While his condition often occurs because of a virus or a person's drinking habits, he clarified that he was not drinking before his hospitalization.
The American Heart Association explains that cardiomyopathy affects the heart's capacity to pump blood as the disease targets the organ's muscle.
His speech and memory problems prior to death were also caused by Wernicke encephalopathy, a neurological disorder caused by thiamine deficiency. The condition also arises because of one's chronic alcoholism, proving Harwell's years-long battle with alcohol in the years before his death.
Due to his continuous alcohol consumption, the habit brought Harwell health woes until it targeted his liver and severely scarred the organ until it was no longer able to perform its function, leading to his death.
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