Brad Arnold, the founder and lead singer for 3 Doors Down, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 47.
Arnold’s death was confirmed by the band on social media.
“With his beloved wife Jennifer and his family by his side, he passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones,” the band shared in a statement. “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.”
Arnold announced his Stage 4 clear cell renal cell carcinoma diagnosis in May 2025. “Hey everybody, it’s Brad from 3 Doors Down. I hope you’re having a great day today,” he said in a video shared on social media at the time. “Got some not so good news for you today. So, I’d been sick a couple of weeks ago and then went to the hospital and got checked out, and actually got the diagnosis that I had a clear cell renal cell carcinoma that had metastasized into my lung. And it’s stage four, and that’s not real good.”
Arnold also said, “But you know what? “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. But it is gonna force us to cancel our tour this summer. And we’re sorry for that. And I’d love for you to lift me up in prayer every chance you get. And Ithink it is time for me to go listen to ‘It’s Not My Time’ a little bit, right?”
He formed the band in 1996 in Escatawpa, Mississippi, and was responsible for writing and producing the band’s most well-known song “Kryptonite,” which he wrote when he was 15.
Arnold opened up about his earliest forays into writing music in a 2021 interview with The Young Folks. “You know, I think what got me into songwriting the most was I used to enjoy writing poems. We had to take an elective in high school of creative writing, and I took that and I just really, as soon as I started writing little poems and stuff, I really enjoyed it,” he explained.
“You can take your mind off somewhere and you can just get to narrate. I’ve always loved music. I can’t remember not beating on the drums and playing on the pots and pans when I was a kid. I’ve always enjoyed playing music. And really, the lyrics to a song, it’s just a poem with a repetitive chorus.”
He also acknowledged having an “interesting” relationship with the band’s biggest hits, including “Kryptonite.”
Arnold said, “The songs grow. It’s interesting to see how the sounds of them change, because when you record a song when it’s new, you’re kind of recording a little baby. As you take a song on tour and play it more and more, it develops and grows muscles and gets bigger and parts change and evolve.”
He added: “You find yourself taking these fancy spots out. Even for “Kryptonite,” over the last couple of years, we got tired of playing the little breakdown at the end, so we started doing it reggae-style.”
Brad Arnold was born on September 27, 1978, in Mississippi. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer.
The post Brad Arnold, 3 Doors Down Founder and Lead Singer, Dies at 47 appeared first on TheWrap.
