Brad Arnold, the lead singer and co-founder of rock band 3 Doors Down, has passed away.
The band stated: “With his beloved wife Jennifer and his family by his side, he passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, in his sleep after his courageous battle with cancer.”
“Above all, he was a devoted husband to Jennifer, and his kindness, humor, and generosity touched everyone fortunate enough to know him. Those closest to him will remember not only his talent, but his warmth, humility, faith, and deep love for his family and friends,” the band added.
Condolences poured in on social media from fellow musicians. Singer Chris Daughtry wrote: “Sending my love to the Arnold family. Rest easy brother. You will be missed.” The band Creed expressed their support: “Sending love to the Arnold and 3DD family.” Black Stone Cherry shared: “We are so very sorry. Brad was always such a top notch, class act to us. Even before we were anything at all— he supported us. Such a huge loss and our prayers go out to his family and band.”
Arnold had announced in May that he was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer. In an Instagram video, he explained: “I was sick and doctors had diagnosed me with clear cell renal carcinoma that metastasized into my lung.” He also canceled the band’s tour.
“I’d love for you to lift me up in prayer every chance you get,” Arnold said. “It’s time for me to go listen to ‘Not My Time’ a little bit, right?”
Arnold formed 3 Doors Down in Escatawpa, Mississippi, in 1996 with Matt Roberts and Todd Harrell. The band became known for hits such as “Here Without You,” “It’s Not My Time,” and “Kryptonite.”
In 2024, Arnold stated: “If I’m going to use the moment on stage to talk, then I want to give glory to God.” Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene commented: “3 Doors Down is one of my favorite bands. Brad Arnold was an unapologetic follower of Jesus and bravely shared his faith with countless fans. Praying for his family & friends.”
Born in Escatawpa, Mississippi in 1978, Arnold formed the band when he was a high school senior with Todd Harrell on bass and Matt Roberts on lead guitar. “Not even two weeks after we played for the first time together, we played a little show at a friend’s house,” Arnold told TEEN PEOPLE in 2001. “We only had four or five songs, and we just played them over and over. The week after that, we had another show. The week after that, we had another show. And we just kind of kept on pushing.”
Chris Henderson joined as a second guitarist in 1998, and the band released an independent CD with an early version of “Kryptonite,” which gained heavy local radio play. “I wrote that song in high school algebra class,” Arnold told Songwriting magazine in 2022. “I was a senior in high school in South Mississippi and algebra was right after lunch. Right before lunch, I had a creative writing class. I really wasn’t very good in English class — the proper rules of English — but I was really good at creative writing. I wasn’t really good at math either. So in that creative writing class, you get kind of your wheels turning and you’re learning how to write stories. That’s how I got into writing lyrics, through writing short stories. In a way, lyrics are just a short story with a repetitive chorus.”
In 1999, 3 Doors Down signed with Universal/Republic Records and added Richard Liles as drummer, freeing Arnold to focus on singing and songwriting. Their debut album, The Better Life (2000), achieved major success. The lead single “Kryptonite” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and earned the band their first Grammy nomination). The single “Loser” hit No. 55 and “Be Like That” reached No. 24. The album itself peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200.
“The one thing that we really did aim for in our music was to make it feel so good to us that it couldn’t help but feel good to another person,” Arnold told TEEN PEOPLE. “We write songs that normal people can identify with.”
