The rock band 3 Doors Down has had to cancel their upcoming summer 2025 tour for a heartbreaking reason — their lead singer, Brad Arnold, has stage 4 cancer.
The singer made the announcement on Wednesday, May 7, via the band’s various social media accounts.
“Hey everybody, it’s Brad from 3 Doors Down. I hope you’re having a great day today. Um, got some not-so-good news for you today. I’d been sick a couple of weeks ago and went to the hospital and got checked out and actually got the diagnosis that I have clear cell renal carcinoma that had metastasized into my lung and uh, that’s stage 4 and that’s not real good,” said the singer in the YouTube video.
But he trusts in God’s plan, and he says that he’s not scared of what he’s facing with this diagnosis.
“You know what? We serve a mighty God, and he can overcome anything, so I have no fear. I really sincerely am not scared of it at all, but it is gonna force us to cancel our tour this summer. We’re sorry for that,” said Arnold, adding, “I’d love for you to lift me up in prayer every chance you get, and I think it’s time for me to maybe go listen to ‘Not My Time’ a little bit. Thank you guys so much, God loves ya, we love ya. See ya.
On the video, Arnold also wrote a message in the caption, “Thank you for all the memories so far. Now, I believe ‘IT’S NOT MY TIME’ is really my song. 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! Brad.”
“It’s Not My Time” is a single off the band’s 2008 self-titled album, which was the group’s fourth studio album. It hit No. 1 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart. In an interview with SongFacts, Arnold said that it was originally written for the Poseidon Adventure remake, and that the song is about “never giving up.”
“‘It’s Not My Time’ is a song about being resilient,” said Arnold. “It’s a song about going against the grain and going against the world when the world’s trying to push you down, or take you out. It’s about never giving up and not letting it get you down, and just going through it.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, clear cell renal carcinoma is the most common form of kidney cancer. It affects men twice as much as it does women. It also “tends to be more aggressive and spreads faster” than other types of kidney cancers. Once it has metastasized and spread, it is “more difficult to treat.” If the cancer has spread, the five-year survival rate for patients is about 10 percent.
