OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
6:01 PM – Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Chuck Negron, the soulful powerhouse vocalist and co-founder of the legendary rock band Three Dog Night, passed away on Monday at his home in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was 83-years-old.
A representative for the singer confirmed the news to Variety, stating that Negron was surrounded by his family at the time of his passing.
According to his family and publicist, the cause of death was complications from heart failure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Negron had lived with COPD for over thirty years — a condition he famously refused to let silence him, often performing with specialized oxygen glasses and speaking openly about his health to inspire others facing similar respiratory challenges.
Negron was one of the three primary vocalists who catapulted Three Dog Night to the top of the charts.
At their peak from 1969 through the mid-1970s, the band stood as one of the world’s most dominant musical acts, boasting an incredible 21 consecutive Billboard Top 40 hits and 12 straight gold albums.
Renowned for their unique three-lead-vocalist lineup, the group sold tens of millions of records and achieved iconic status with chart-toppers like “Mama Told Me (Not to Come),” “Black and White,” and their signature anthem “Joy to the World.”
Though the original hit machine iteration of the band officially disbanded in 1977, their legacy as a powerhouse of the 70s pop-rock era remains unmatched. Under the leadership of Negron, Danny Hutton, and Cory Wells, Three Dog Night became a dominant force in the music industry.
However, beyond the music, Negron’s life was marked by a harrowing and well-documented struggle with heroin addiction, which led to his departure from the band and the loss of his fortune. Nonetheless, his story became one of the industry’s most celebrated tales of recovery.
Following his successful rehabilitation in the early 1990s, he authored the candid autobiography “Three Dog Nightmare” and became a dedicated advocate for sobriety and recovery programs. He spent the last three decades of his life performing as a solo artist and as part of the “Happy Together” tours, reclaiming his place on stage despite his respiratory challenges.
He is survived by his wife, Ami Albea, and his children.
Fans and fellow musicians have begun sharing tributes online, remembering Negron not just for his “limitless” tenor voice, but for his resilience and the “joy” his music brought “to the world.”
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