The lead vocalist and drummer of 3 Doors Down, Brad Arnold, has died. Photo / 3 Doors Down
The lead vocalist and drummer of 3 Doors Down, Brad Arnold, has died. Photo / 3 Doors Down
The lead singer and drummer of American rock band 3 Doors Down, Brad Arnold, has died aged 47 after a battle with kidney cancer.
In a post on Instagram, the band announced Arnold had died “peacefully” in his sleep on Saturday (local time), with his wife Jennifer Arnold by hisside.
“He was a devoted husband to Jennifer, and his kindness, humour, 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 said Arnold had “helped redefine mainstream rock music”, praising his songwriting as “a cultural touchstone for a generation”.
“His music reverberated far beyond the stage, creating moments of connection, joy, faith and shared experiences that will live on long after the stages he performed on.”
They urged fans to respect the privacy of his family.
“He will be deeply missed and forever remembered.”
American rock band 3 Doors Down was formed in 1996 by Brad Arnold, Matt Roberts and Todd Harrell. Photo / Jeff Kravitz, FilmMagic Inc
Arnold told fans he had been diagnosed with stage 4 clear cell renal carcinoma in May last year, a cancer that had metastasized into his lungs, NBC News reported.
“We serve a mighty God, and he can overcome anything. So I have no fear. I really, sincerely am not scared of it at all”, he wrote.
“I’d love for you to lift me up in prayer every chance you get. It’s time for me to go listen to Not My Time a little bit, right?”
The Mississippi-based band were founded in 1996 by Arnold, bassist Todd Harrell and guitarist Matt Roberts, who himself died in 2016, aged 38, according to NME.
Brad Arnold said he was "proud" of the band's performance at Trump's 2017 inauguration. Photo / Slaven Vlasic, Getty Images
Their Grammy-nominated single Kryptonite was written by Arnold when he was just 15 years old, sitting at No 1 on the Billboard modern rock charts for 11 weeks after its release.
The band controversially performed at Donald Trump’s first presidential inauguration in 2017, an appearance Arnold described himself as “proud” of.
Angus Vail, 3 Doors Down’s Kiwi manager, told Vice the band’s members “are good Mississippi and Alabama boys”.
“3 Doors have that God, guns and country black-and-white sort of viewpoint, and they spend a lot of time going to Iraq, doing service, playing for the troops. They believe it and that’s the way they see America.”
