Steve Harwell, the singer of Smash Mouth is no longer a part of the band following a rant onstage at a festival in New York, his representatives have confirmed.
The band are best known for ‘All Star’, the song that featured on the Shrek movie soundtrack.
The 54-year-old is stepping away from the band to deal with his physical and mental health, according to his rep.
“Steve has been dealing with long-term medical issues over the last eight years and during his last performance at the Big Sip stage, he suffered numerous symptoms directly linked with his current medical situation,” they explained.
(Image: Getty Images)
“As of today, Steve will be retiring from Smash Mouth to focus on his physical and mental health.”
The incident referred to took place on October 9, when the band performed at the Big Sip festival in New York.
A TikTok video went viral, seeming to show Harwell slurring and threatening the audience as well as making rude gestures.
The TikTok user by the name of Haley called it “chaotic”.
However, a friend of Harwell’s explained that it was “taken out of context”, describing it to the New York Post as an “episode” onstage.
(Image: WireImage)
“This unfortunate recording has now been taken out of context and his ailments used against him to paint him as someone who he isn’t,” they said.
It emerged that the singer has been suffering with multiple medical conditions, according to the Post.
Eight years ago, Harwell was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. As a result of this he has suffered from heart failure and acute Wernicke encephalopathy, which has impacted his speech and his memory.
(Image: Getty Images North America)
“Despite Steve’s best efforts to work through these ailments, he is heartbroken to share that it has become impossible for him to continue doing what he loves most, performing in front of the band’s millions of fans around the world,” his rep said.
In a statement, Harwell 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.
“To my bandmates, it’s been an honour performing with you all these years and I can’t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with.
“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.”
He continued: “I am so grateful to each and every one of you who has helped Smash Mouth sell over 10 million albums worldwide, put us on top of radio charts and those who have kept ‘All Star’ relevant as one of the top memes on the internet today.”
Harwell finished: “I cannot wait to see what Smash Mouth accomplishes next and am looking forward to counting myself as one of the band’s newest fans.”
The source also claimed Harwell has struggled with several types of addiction, and said the video shows Harwell could “no longer perform due to the symptoms from his diagnosis,” according to the insider, despite having “every intention of successfully continuing in the band.”
“This TikTok video is not an accurate representation of the man Steve is. Steve had every intention of successfully continuing in the band but will be retiring to concentrate on his serious health issues,” the source finished.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
