Brad Arnold, lead singer of 3 Doors Down, dies at 47

Brad Arnold, the 47-year-old cofounder and pb vocalist of the Mississippi stone set 3 Doors Down, died Saturday, 9 months aft revealing a diagnosis of kidney cancer.

The set announced Arnold’s decease successful a societal media post, which said helium had “helped redefine mainstream stone music, blending post-grunge accessibility with emotionally nonstop songwriting.”

In May 2025, Arnold announced that the set would beryllium canceling its summertime circuit due to the fact that helium had advanced-stage kidney crab that has dispersed to his lungs.

“That’s not existent good,” helium said of his diagnosis. “But you cognize what? We service a mighty God, and He tin flooded anything. So I person nary fear. I truly sincerely americium not frightened of it astatine all.” He added, “I’d emotion for you to assistance maine up successful supplication each accidental you get.”

He was nationalist astir his conflict with alcoholism. He said helium started drinking successful his teens, an addiction fueled by the unit of stepping connected a circuit autobus astatine 20 years old.

“It’s conscionable a batch to manus a 20 twelvemonth old,” helium told a Christian podcaster. He thanked religion for his sobriety and took to proclaiming his religion connected stage.

Born successful Escatawpa, Mississippi successful Sept. 1978, Arnold formed the set with friends Todd Harrell and Matt Roberts successful the mid-1990s.

As a 15-year-old successful algebra class, helium wrote the opus “Kryptonite,” drumming retired the bushed connected his desk.

“I utilized to beryllium our drummer,” helium told the pb vocalist of the set Candlebox successful an interview. “I lone became the vocalist due to the fact that we didn’t person a singer. That bushed conscionable came from conscionable sitting connected a desk. I astir apt wrote that opus successful the magnitude of clip that it took to maine to conscionable to constitute it down. It truly was conscionable 1 of those that benignant of fell retired of the sky.”

It became the band’s breakout deed successful 2000 and earned a Grammy nomination.

“The Better Life,” the archetypal of the band’s six albums, sold much than 6 cardinal copies, and the 2005 medium “Seventeen Days” entered the nationalist charts astatine No. 1. That year, reviewing a Los Angeles performance, a professional noted Arnold’s “heartland drawl” and sleeveless denim shirt, calling him “less punk than Springsteen.”

The set released its last album, “Us And The Night,” successful 2016. The pursuing year, the set played astatine the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Arnold is survived by his wife, Jennifer.