LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Brad Arnold, the lead singer of the Grammy-nominated rock band 3 Doors Down, died Saturday, months after he announced that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer. He was 47.
The band said in a statement that Arnold 鈥減assed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, in his sleep after his courageous battle with cancer.鈥�
3 Doors Down formed in Mississippi in 1995 and four years later received a Grammy nomination for the breakout hit 鈥淜ryptonite.鈥� Arnold wrote the song in math class when he was 15 years old, according to the band statement.
Their debut album, 鈥淭he Better Life,鈥� sold over 6 million copies. A second Grammy nomination came in 2003, for the song 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 Gone.鈥�
The band said Arnold 鈥渉elped redefine mainstream rock music, blending post-grunge accessibility with emotionally direct songwriting and lyrical themes that resonated with everyday listeners.鈥�
3 Doors Down released six albums, most recently 鈥淯s And The Night鈥� in 2016. Singles included 鈥淟oser,鈥� 鈥淒uck and Run鈥� and 鈥淏e Like That,鈥� which appeared on the soundtrack for the 2001 film 鈥淎merican Pie 2.鈥�
While promoting their 5th album, 鈥淭ime of My Life,鈥� Arnold said he considered himself lucky to have carved out a career in the music business.
鈥淚f you do something as long as we鈥檝e done it, you can鈥檛 help but get better at it, you know?鈥� Arnold told The Associated Press in 2011.
In 2017, 3 Doors Down performed at the first inauguration concert of President Donald Trump.
Arnold announced his cancer diagnosis last May, saying clear cell renal carcinoma had metastasized to his lungs. The band was forced to cancel a summer tour.
鈥淗is 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,鈥� the band said.
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