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Rock radio lost a familiar voice over the weekend. Brad Arnold, lead singer and founding member of 3 Doors Down, has died at the age of 47 after a battle with cancer. Arnold helped shape the sound of mainstream rock in the early 2000s, blending post-grunge grit with straightforward, emotional songwriting that connected with everyday listeners.

His biggest breakthrough came with “Kryptonite,” the band’s 2000 hit that climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went eight-times Platinum. The song launched the multi-Platinum debut album The Better Life, followed by the also-massive Away from the Sun, which produced radio staples like “When I’m Gone” and “Here Without You.” Two later albums, Seventeen Days and the band’s self-titled release, both debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Arnold’s voice became a constant on rock and Hot AC stations, including regular rotation on 100.1 KYFM, where songs like “Kryptonite” and “Here Without You” remain audience favorites. He co-founded the Mississippi-based band in 1996 and earned Grammy nominations for “Kryptonite” and “When I’m Gone,” leaving behind a catalog that’s still filling speakers long after the early-2000s heyday.

Photo Courtesy of: crypticrock.com