3 Doors Down Frontman Brad Arnold Dead at 47

Brad Arnold, lead singer of the rock band 3 Doors Down, has died of kidney cancer at age 47. In announcing the news on social media, the band out of Mississippi said Arnold "helped redefine mainstream rock music, blending post-grunge accessibility with emotionally direct songwriting," reports the Los Angeles Times. Arnold's death comes nine months after he made his diagnosis public.

Born in Escatawpa, Miss., in 1978, Arnold formed 3 Doors Down in the mid-1990s with friends Todd Harrell and Matt Roberts, per CBS News. Originally the drummer, he slid into the singer role only because the band didn't have one. "Kryptonite," which he wrote as a 15-year-old in algebra class, became the band's signature hit in 2000 and earned a Grammy nomination. Their debut album, The Better Life, sold more than 6 million copies, and 2005's Seventeen Days debuted at No. 1. The group released its sixth and final album, Us and the Night, in 2016.

Arnold had spoken candidly about his earlier struggles with alcoholism, saying the pressures of touring in his early 20s fueled his drinking and that his Christian faith later anchored his sobriety—something he frequently referenced from the stage. Arnold is survived by his wife, Jennifer.