Did Steve Harwell From Smash Mouth Have a Wife and Kids?

Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell died on September 4, 2023, from liver failure. He was 56 years old. Harwell leaves behind his ex-wife Michelle Laroque. The couple’s son Presley died when he was six months old from acute lymphocytic leukemia. Presley was the couple’s only kid.

Harwell never re-married or had more children. He was engaged to Esther Campbell and Harwell’s manager said his fiancée was by his side.

“Steve is resting at home [and] being cared for by his fiancée and hospice care,” his manager Robert Hayes, shared in a statement the night before Harwell died. “Steve’s iconic voice is one of the most recognizable voices from his generation. Steve loved the fans and loved to perform. Although Steve is here with us still, sadly it will only be for a short time.”

Steve Harwell’s son died in 2001

Harwell and Laroque welcomed their son Presley on January 26, 2001, via Billboard. Presley became ill when Harwell was on tour with Smash Mouth.

Presley died in July 2001 and funeral services were held in Las Vegas, which was where Harwell resided at the time. The band announced an indefinite hiatus. “They’re taking it one day at a time,” a representative for the band’s label, Interscope told Billboard. “They were mainly scheduled to do radio shows and summer fair-type appearances.” 

Harwell later established a medical foundation in his son’s name to help with research and finding a cure for blood cancers.

Did Steve Harwell and his fiancée break up before his death?

Campbell was by reportedly Harwell’s side at the time of his death. But the couple experienced turmoil in the past. She filed a restraining order against him in 2019 after he made threats against her when she refused to let him move in with her.

She described “threatening behavior” from Harwell and alleged that Harwell’s management team threatened her if she filed a restraining order. In court documents, she reported that managers told her they could essentially make her life difficult.

The couple got engaged after dating for a year. But Campbell expressed concern over Harwell’s drinking and claimed she only filed the restraining order to give Harwell time to seek treatment.

How did Steve Harwell die?

Harwell died from complications due to liver failure. He spent the majority of his adult life struggling with alcohol abuse and had been seeking treatment at the time of his death.

His last performance with The Big Sip went viral when he slurred his speech on stage, cursed at the audience, and made what appeared to be a Nazi salute. Following the incident, Harwell’s management team said the singer had cardiomyopathy and had been battling health issues for years.

He experienced a number of setbacks throughout the years and tried to push forward. “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,” Harwell said in the news release (via USA Today). 

Harwell’s management team announced he was on hospice care hours before his death, sharing with fans that the singer only had days to live.