The lead singer and songwriter of 3 Doors Down, Brad Arnold, has died after a battle with cancer, the rock band announced on X. He was 47.

"He will be deeply missed and forever remembered," the band said in a statement on Saturday.

The band is best known for 2000s rock hits like Kryptonite, Here Without You, When I'm Gone, and Loser.

In May 2025, Arnold announced that he was ill, and had received a diagnosis of stage 4 clear cell renal carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer, which had metastasised into his lung.

"I have no fear, I really sincerely am not scared of it at all," the frontman said, adding that he was disappointed that the band would have to cancel an upcoming tour.

"I'd love for you to lift me up in prayer every chance you get," he said.

In its statement, 3 Doors Down said that, as a founding member, vocalist, and original drummer, "Brad helped redefine mainstream rock music, blending post-grunge accessibility with emotionally direct song writing and lyrical themes that resonated with everyday listeners".

The original band was formed in Mississippi in the mid-1990s. Another founding member of the original trio, Matt Roberts, died in 2016 at the age of 38.

Arnold wrote Kryptonite, the band's breakout 2000 hit, "in his math class when he was just 15 years old", the statement continued.

Those closest to Arnold will "remember not only his talent, but his warmth, humility, faith, and deep love for his family and friends", it said.

He is survived by his wife, Jennifer.

The band was regularly heard on rock and pop radio throughout the 2000s and 2010s. They have won three Billboard Music Awards.

Their debut album The Better Life was the 11th biggest-selling album of the year in their home country.

Arnold had spoken openly about hit battle with alcoholism and his recovery, having been sober since 2016.

"I used to think it was a way to calm myself prior to a show or to chase loneliness," he told Charleston.com in 2023.

The band performed for the inauguration of President George W Bush as well as the first inauguration of President Donald Trump, which received some criticism from fans.

Their manager, Angus Vail, defended the decision to perform for the 2017 Trump presidential celebration, telling Vice: "They are good Mississippi and Alabama boys—they come from conservative families."

In 2004, 3 Doors Down established a charity, the Better Life Foundation, to create "positive change in the lives of children in need of food, shelter and medical assistance". The band hosts a yearly concert to raise funds for the organisation.

"All the money that goes into that [charity] comes from fans, and people, that they give to us," Arnold told Antihero magazine in 2021.

"But being able to see what that's done over the years has definitely enriched my life."