(KTLA) – Brad Arnold, the frontman for the rock band 3 Doors Down, has announced he has Stage 4 kidney cancer. He also announced the cancellation of the band’s summer tour as a result of the diagnosis.
In a video posted to X, Arnold, 46, started by telling fans, “I’ve got some not-so-good news for you today.”
The “Kryptonite” singer then explained that he was diagnosed with clear cell renal cell carcinoma, which had spread to his lungs and metastasized. He added that he only learned of the diagnosis after getting sick a few weeks ago and going to the hospital.
“That’s Stage 4 and that’s not real good,” Arnold said, adding that he’s leaning on his faith and that he “has no fear” about the diagnosis. He did not specify whether he was planning to undergo any surgeries or therapies to fight the cancer.
“I’d love for you to lift me up in prayer every chance you get,” he told fans.
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma, or ccRCC, is said to be the most common type of kidney cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Symptoms may include pain, weight loss, fever or a “lump in the side,” according to the NCI, though some patients may not experience any noticeable symptoms.
Patients with ccRCC that has metastasized are “more difficult” candidates for treatment, the NCI says. The five-year survival rate for such patients is around 10%.
3 Doors Down was set to play on the Summer of ’99 Tour and Beyond, which is scheduled to kick off May 15 in Daytona Beach. The band was co-headlining certain dates with Creed, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Arnold, bassist Todd Harrell and lead guitar and backup singer Matt Roberts founded 3 Doors Down some 30 years ago in Mississippi. Chris Henderson joined the trio, playing rhythm guitar and singing backup vocals, a few years later.
In 2000, the band dropped the album “The Better Life” with the song “Kryptonite,” a hit single that’s been streamed on Spotify more than a billion times, according to the LA Times.
Later album releases included “Away from the Sun” and “Seventeen Days.”
The band has evolved since its founding, with Arnold and Henderson remaining the oldest members of the group. In August 2016, Roberts, the founding guitarist, died from an overdose of prescription pills at a hotel in West Bend, Wisconsin, at the age of 38.
“This’ll be a battle so we need our prayer warriors!” Arnold wrote in an X post on Wednesday. “Thank y’all for being the best fans in the world. We love y’all!”
