In an inspiring display of faith in the midst of painful circumstances, the lead singer of the rock band 3 Doors Down opened up about how his faith in Jesus has carried him through a recent stage 4 cancer diagnosis, explaining that he was not afraid because of God’s might and faithfulness to him.
For context, in a video shared on Instagram on May 7, 2025, 3 Doors Down vocalist Brad Arnold explained that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and that the band was cancelling its upcoming tour, clarifying that he was dealing with clear cell renal carcinoma, which is a form of kidney cancer with a 5-year survival rate of about 10%, according to the National Cancer Institute.
In the Instagram video, Arnold opened up to fans, getting extremely vulnerable while still showing no signs of discouragement. He said, “Got some not-so-good news for you today. So, I’ve been sick a couple of weeks ago and then went to the hospital and got checked out and had actually got the diagnosis that I had clear cell renal carcinoma.” He added that the cancer is “stage 4, and that’s not real good.”
Continuing, Arnold took the opportunity to encourage his fans and point them to God, saying, “But you know what? We serve a mighty God, and He can overcome anything. So I have no fear.” He added, ” I really, sincerely am not scared at all.”
After clarifying that the band would need to cancel its upcoming tour, which was set to include Daugtry, Creed, Big Wreck, and Mammoth WVH, Arnold took a moment to ask his fans and community for prayer, saying, “I’d love for you to lift me up in prayer every chance you get,” adding, “Thank you guys so much. God loves you. We love you.”
In response to the heartwrenching post, several fellow rock stars left encouraging comments, with Creed’s Scott Stapp writing, “If anyone has the FAITH and STRENGTH to face this fight, it’s YOU brother. You and your family are in my prayers daily.” Likewise, singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw wrote, “May God bless you brother. Showing us how to conquer the darkness with light.” Country singer Jason Aldean also showed his support, saying, “Man I hate to hear that Brad. Praying for ya brother.”
In addition, countless other noted musicians across a broad spectrum of genres left comments expressing their care for Arnold, including Uncle Kracker, the Charlie Daniels Band, Shinedown, Sara Evans, and many others. Thousands of fans wrote heartfelt comments as well, including Levi Stocke, who wrote, “First scripture that came to mind just seeing this. “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I with them.” MATTHEW 18:20.” He added, “You have an army praying for you.”
In the caption of the post, Arnold expressed that the 3 Doors Down track “It’s Not My Time” is “really my song,” adding, “This’ll be a battle, so we need our prayer warriors! Thank y’all for being the best fans in the world. We love y’all!”
Watch Brad’s moving announcement:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video