2 minutes of readingLos AngelesUpdated: February 8, 2026 08:52 am IST
Brad Arnold, the lead singer of the Grammy-nominated rock band 3 Doors Down, died Saturday, months after announcing that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer. Hello, he was 47 years old.
The band said in a statement that Arnold “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones, in his sleep after his courageous battle with cancer.”
3 Doors Down formed in Mississippi in 1995 and four years later received a Grammy nomination for the smash hit “Kryptonite.” Arnold wrote the song in math class when he was 15, according to the band’s statement.
— 3 doors down (@3doorsdown) February 7, 2026
Their debut album, The Better Life, sold more than 6 million copies. A second Grammy nomination came in 2003, for the song When I’m Gone.
The band said Arnold “helped redefine mainstream rock music, combining post-grunge accessibility with emotionally direct compositions and lyrical themes that resonated with everyday listeners.”
3 Doors Down released six albums, most recently Us And The Night in 2016. Singles included Loser, Duck and Run and Be Like That, which appeared on the soundtrack of the 2001 film American Pie 2.
While promoting his fifth album, Time of My Life, Arnold said he considered himself lucky to have carved out a career in the music business.
“If you do something while we’ve done it, you can’t help but get better at it, you know?” Arnold told The Associated Press in 2011.
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In 2017, 3 Doors Down performed at the president’s first inauguration concert. donald trump.
Arnold announced his cancer diagnosis last May, saying that clear cell renal cell carcinoma had metastasized to his lungs. The band was forced to cancel a summer tour.
“His music resonated far beyond the stage, creating moments of connection, joy, faith and shared experiences that will last long after the stages on which he performed,” the band said.