What happened to Brad Arnold? Health issues explored as 3 Doors Down singer reveals grave diagnosis

On May 7, 2025, 3 Doors Down singer Brad Arnold took to X via the band's official account to inform his fans that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer. Greeting fans of the band with some 'not-so-good news', Arnold revealed that after feeling sick a couple of weeks ago, he got diagnosed with a clear cell renal cell carcinoma, which had metastasized into his lung.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, clear cell renal cell carcinoma affects the tubule that filters waste from the blood. It is the most common type of kidney cancer with a five-year survival rate ranging between 50% to 69%.

Expressing his faith in god, the 3 Doors Down singer said:

"I really sincerely am not scared of it at all."

Brad Arnold announced that due to his cancer diagnosis, 3 Doors Down has canceled their summer tour, which was set to start on May 15, 2025, in Daytona Beach. The band's official website now features a video from Arnold instead of tour details.

Toward the end of the video, Arnold asked his fans to "lift me up in prayer every chance you get." Additionally, the singer also wrote a hopeful message accompanying the video, wherein he dubbed the band's 2008 track It's Not My Time as "my song" adding:

"Thank you for all the memories so far. This’ll be a battle so we need our prayers warriors! Thank y’all for being the best fans in the world. We love y’all!"

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Brad Arnold's career trajectory with 3 Doors Down explored amid news of cancer diagnosis

Born on September 27, 1978, in Escatawpa, Mississippi, USA, Brad Arnold formed 3 Doors Down in 1996 alongside bassist Todd Harrell and late lead guitarist Matt Roberts, who passed away in 2016. The band rose to fame with its 2000s single Kryptonite which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

This was followed by more Billboard Hot 100 features like Here Without You, When I'm Gone, and Be Like That. During a 2018 interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader, Brad Arnold reflected on how 3 Doors Down's first hit came into being.

The lead singer recalled that he was a teenager when he wrote Kryptonite and that he tended to write a lot of songs based around friendship and relationships during his high school days. Arnold mentioned that he hated math, and so he would sit in that class and pour out his thoughts, which is how Kryptonite happened.

Arnold has been quite outspoken as the lead singer of the band and has always put forth the band's ideology concerning their new releases. In a 2016 interview with Smashing Interviews Magazine, the singer talked about 3 Doors Down's sixth studio album, Us and the Night.

Commenting on how the band attempted to make the album different from their previous projects, Brad Arnold said that they didn't want it to be just 'another record'. He revealed how the band opted for an element of surprise with Us and the Night, to catch their fans off guard and give them something different to listen to.

Moreover, Us and the Night happened to be the last project 3 Doors Down released, given that the band hasn't dropped a new album since 2016.

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While Brand Arnold has recently been diagnosed with kidney cancer, the 3 Doors Down singer also had a drinking problem. While the timeline of the same isn't known, during his interview with the Union Leader, the singer confessed to being sober since 2016.

Arnold spoke about how he could trace all problems in his life to alcohol, which acted as the wake-up call for him to stop.