Smash Mouth’s Steve Harwell, Who Sang Hit Song ‘All Star,’ Dies of Acute Liver Failture

During the later years of his career, Harwell suffered from several health complications with 2013 diagnoses for cardiomyopathy and Wernicke encephalopathy. On Sunday, Hayes had said Harwell was “resting at home being cared for by his fiancée and hospice care” with only “a short time left to live.” “Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a Rockstar performing in front of sold-out arenas and have been so fortunate to live out that dream,” Harwell had told People magazine. “To my bandmates, it’s been an honor performing with you all these years and I can’t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with.”

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More general liver problems and disease, whether genetic or developed, may also result in eventual liver failure. In addition to the symptoms of acute liver failure, liver disease can cause swelling in the legs, itchy skin, dark urine, pale stool, chronic fatigue, loss of appetite, and easy bruising, according to Mayo Clinic. Doctors are typically able to decide whether or not a patient is a transplant candidate — and, if so, get them listed for a transplant — within a day, Lucero says. The challenge with acute liver failure patients, though, is that they “have to be able to agree to take lifelong immune suppression to prevent rejection of the organ,” Lucero explains.

Steve Harwell’s history of health complications

These substance reliances are, in part, what have caused his health complications which also includes cardiomyopathy. According to the Washington Post, his speech and memory have also bene affected. The onset of jaundice, pain in the upper right abdomen, and a swollen stomach (jaundice) are key signs of acute liver failure. More general symptoms include nausea, vomiting, malaise, disorientation, sleepiness, and tremors. Acute liver failure may also cause a person’s breath to have a musty or sweet odor.

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• Harwell retired from the band after a concert in upstate New York about two years ago, where he was heard slurring his words and making vaguely threatening comments toward the audience, according to Variety.
• “Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle,” the statement continues.
• The only original member of the band still performing with the group is bassist Paul De Lisle.
• “Liver disease can be inherited (genetic). Liver problems can also be caused by a variety of factors that damage the liver, such as viruses, alcohol use and obesity,” the site explains.
• This is thought to be the main contributing to his late-stage liver failure, confirmed to be the cause of death.
• But many transplant centers will refuse the operation to people who are currently active substance abusers or alcoholics.

“And if it’s given early enough, it can help avoid the need for a liver transplant.” Patients may also receive a special form of continual dialysis, which can help decrease the amount of ammonia in their body, she adds. However, by definition, acute liver failure only occurs in “someone who has no underlying liver disease and has never had any liver problem,” Kushner says. Instead, it arises most commonly due to an overdose of acetaminophen, Lucero explains. “He was surrounded by family and friends and passed peacefully and comfortably,” the band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said how did steve harwell get liver failure in a statement to NBC News. “Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle,” the statement continues.

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In other cases, a whole liver may be taken from a deceased donor and transplanted into a patient. Liver failure is when the vital organ is no longer able to carry out its critical functions. It is diagnosed via blood tests, which can reveal whether the organ is working properly.

But with acute liver failure, liver function deteriorates much more quickly, usually over days or weeks, the Mayo Clinic says. EW can confirm that Harwell is in the final stages of liver failure after receiving treatment in a hospital. A representative for the band also confirmed that he is back home with “only a week or so to live,” with friends and loved ones gathering to see Harwell for the past 3 days.

“Rifaximin prevents recurrent hepatic encephalopathy; however, it is not known whether it may have beneficial effects on other complications of cirrhosis,” Elisa Pose, MD, PhD, of the Liver Unit at the Clinical Hospital of Barcelona, said. “The effects of the combination of statins and rifaximin on the natural history of decompensated cirrhosis have not been investigated.” Read more. Naltrexone was effective in achieving abstinence, reducing lapses and improving craving scores at 3 months in patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis, according to data presented at EASL Congress. During Harwell’s tenure with Smash Mouth, the band sold over ten million albums worldwide, had two #1 hit singles and a Grammy nomination. Previously, she wrote for USA Today, where she was selected to help launch the newspaper’s wellness vertical. Sometimes a liver biopsy may be required to help determine the best course of treatment.

His rep at the time also told People he had been handling medical issues for the past 8 years, including cardiomyopathy, a heart disease that makes pumping blood to the rest of the body difficult. At the time of the concert, the rep said, he had suffered “numerous symptoms directly linked with his current medical situation.” Harwell was reportedly in hospice care the weekend before his death, Hayes had told the Washington Post, and was in the final stages of liver failure.

• More general liver problems and disease, whether genetic or developed, may also result in eventual liver failure.
• The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said the cause of death was acute liver failure.
• For instance, although chronic alcohol consumption doesn’t directly cause acute liver failure, it “decreases the threshold to develop drug-induced liver injury,” Lucero says.
• Keep reading for additional Healio coverage on liver-related care, including updated ACG guidelines, racial disparities in liver transplantation, Naltrexone use among those with alcohol use disorder and novel research from EASL Congress.
• This can result in fatty liver disease and cirrhosis of the liver, ultimately leading to liver failure if left untreated.

Harwell, who was a pop culture icon with hit numbers like ‘All Star’ and ‘I’m a Believer’, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in 2013. “We hope that people respect Steve and his family’s privacy during this difficult time,” added the representative. Following the news of Harwell’s health condition, fellow singer Bret Michaels took to social media to send him some kind words. “Steve’s manager says he likely has only a week or so to live,” the report states. She has covered weather, and major breaking news events in South Florida.

Former Smash Mouth Singer Steve Harwell Is Receiving Hospice Care Amid Liver Failure

The Grammy-nominated band, which formed in 1994 in San Jose, Calif., and scored hits like “Walkin’ on the Sun” and “All Star,” had to postpone several shows in 2017 as Harwell underwent heart treatment. The rep had warned that Harwell had “only a week or so to live” and that friends and family had gathered to visit him over the past few days. “Steve has been retired from Smash Mouth for two years now, and the band continues to tour with new vocalist Zach Goode. It wasn’t until 2001 though, with the release of the first Shrek film, when their hits “All Star” and “I’m a Believer” were featured on the film’s soundtrack that the band achieved mainstream success.

For those who require a whole liver transplant, there is also a shortage of organs — with most being reserved only for patients most in need. Some medical institutions even require a time period someone needs to be sober for before being eligible to be placed on the transplant waiting list. For example, Johns Hopkins University in Maryland says alcoholics need to be sober for at least six months before they can be considered for a liver transplant. It is more common, however, for acute liver failure to occur in people who have no prior history of liver problems.

Simvastatin plus rifaximin did not reduce progression to acute-on-chronic liver failure, complications from cirrhosis or risk for death in patients with decompensated cirrhosis, according to data presented at EASL Congress. According to the American Liver Foundation, 4.5 million U.S. adults have been diagnosed with liver disease which, if left untreated, can lead to liver failure and liver cancer. In 2020, 51,642 adults in the U.S. died from liver disease, and chronic liver disease or cirrhosis was the 12th leading cause of death. Recently, some experts have started using the term acute on chronic liver failure.

TMZ reported that the singer had for years dealt with alcohol abuse and addiction issues. The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, confirmed the news in a statement to Rolling Stone, saying the founding vocalist was “surrounded by family and friends” when he “passed peacefully and comfortably” at his home in Boise, Idaho. Liver failure is when the liver shuts down and is unable to carry out important bodily functions.

He passed away peacefully Sept. 4 surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho, his representative, Robert Hayes, confirmed to NBC News. Hayes said in a separate statement that while Harwell had “many health issues,” he died of acute liver failure. Former Smash Mouth lead singer Steve Harwell died Monday at age 56 from acute liver failure. The artist, whose band is best known for the 1999 hit “All Star,” had been in hospice care, according to representative Robert Hayes. The former lead singer of pop rock band Smash Mouth, Steve Harwell, died on Monday of acute liver failure, according to the band’s manager Robert Hayes.

Alcohol also plays a role in the health of your liver, though it is more directly a cause of chronic liver failure, which is more common and develops over a longer period. Following the performance, his reps at the time said in a news release that the video had “been taken out of context” to misrepresent the singer. In a statement to USA TODAY, Harwell’s reps then revealed that the frontman had been battling health issues for the past eight years stemming from his diagnosis with cardiomyopathy. TMZ, which was the first outlet to report the news, reported Harwell has “reached the final stage of liver failure” due to alcohol abuse throughout his life.

The “All Star” singer, who retired from the band two years ago, died peacefully, surrounded by family and friends, Hayes said. “Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a rock star, performing in front of sold-out arenas, and have been so fortunate to live out that dream,” Harwell continued. He was previously hospitalized because of liver failure stemming from years of alcoholism and substance abuse and was receiving treatment in the hospital for the same. “Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a Rockstar performing in front of sold-out arenas and have been so fortunate to live out that dream,” the singer said in a statement. “To my bandmates, it’s been an honor performing with you all these years and I can’t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with.”

Harwell continued, “To our loyal and amazing fans, thank you, all of this was possible because of you. I’ve tried so hard to power through my physical and mental health issues, and to play in front of you one last time, but I just wasn’t able to.” “To our loyal and amazing fans, thank you, all of this was possible because of you,” he continued. “I’ve tried so hard to power through my physical and mental health issues, and to play in front of you one last time, but I just wasn’t able to.” TMZ was first to report that the singer was in the final stage of liver failure after previously undergoing treatment for alcohol abuse at a hospital. If a chronic liver patient continues to stress the organ, such as participating in a night of binge drinking, the sudden exacerbation can stress the liver, causing it to fail in a medical condition known as acute-on-chronic liver failure. Many patients may already have chronic liver disease caused by factors such as  consuming an abundance of alcohol.