Chuck Negron, the powerful voice behind some of the biggest hits by legendary rock group Three Dog Night, has died at the age of 83.
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The founding singer passed away peacefully on Monday, February 2, 2026, at his home in Studio City, California, surrounded by family, his publicist confirmed.
Born Charles Negron II on June 8, 1942, in the Bronx, New York, he gravitated toward music and doo-wop groups at an early age. In 1967, he teamed up with fellow vocalists Danny Hutton and Cory Wells to form Three Dog Night, blending R&B, rock, soul and pop into a sound that resonated with audiences worldwide.
Negron was best known as one of the three co-founding vocalists of Three Dog Night, a band that dominated charts in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a string of hit singles. His distinctive lead vocals helped drive classics such as “Joy to the World (Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog),” “One (Is the Loneliest Number),” “Easy To Be Hard,” “The Show Must Go On” and “An Old Fashioned Love Song.”
The band achieved meteoric success within a few years of its formation, landing multiple singles on the Billboard charts and performing on the inaugural edition of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in 1972. By the mid-1970s, Three Dog Night had become one of the most commercially successful acts of its era.
Chuck Negron Battled Substance Abuse During His Career
Despite their success, internal tensions and personal struggles eventually led to the group’s breakup in the late 1970s. Negron faced well-documented battles with substance abuse, which affected his role in the band and his life in subsequent years. However, he eventually achieved sobriety and went on to pursue a solo career, releasing several albums and sharing his story in a memoir.
According to his publicist Zach Farnum, Negron had been contending with health issues, including heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), at the time of his death.
Tributes from fans, musicians and those influenced by his work have begun pouring in across social media and music communities, honoring Negron’s contributions to rock and pop music.