Steve Harwell, the former lead singer of Smash Mouth, struggled with severe alcoholism throughout much of his life. At one point, he was drinking at least a liter of vodka a day, often consuming even more on his days off

. His heavy alcohol use contributed significantly to his declining health, including diagnoses of cardiomyopathy (heart muscle damage) and Wernicke encephalopathy (brain damage related to alcohol abuse)

. These conditions, along with prolonged alcohol abuse, led to late-stage liver failure, which was the cause of his death at age 56

. His alcoholism was well-documented and visibly affected his performances and behavior in later years, leading to erratic onstage incidents and hospitalizations

. Despite attempts at rehabilitation, his addiction had a profound impact on both his personal and professional life

. In summary, Steve Harwell consumed very large amounts of alcohol daily—at least a liter of vodka per day during his worst periods—and this chronic heavy drinking ultimately caused severe health problems culminating in liver failure and brain damage