Founding member and lead vocalist Chuck Negron, whose voice powered hits including Joy To The World, One and An Old Fashioned Love Song, has died at his home in Los Angeles
by Paul Cashmere
Chuck Negron, the founding member and lead singer of legendary rock band Three Dog Night, has died at the age of 83. Negron passed away on Monday, February 2, 2026, at his Studio City home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family, following complications from heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Born Charles Negron II on June 8, 1942, in Manhattan, New York City, Negron was the son of Charles Negron, a Puerto Rican nightclub performer, and Elizabeth Rooke. His parents divorced when he was just two years old, and he was raised alongside his twin sister Nancy in the Bronx. From an early age, Negron displayed a natural talent for music, singing in doo-wop groups, while also excelling on the basketball court. He earned recruitment to Allan Hancock College and later California State University to play basketball, which brought him to Los Angeles and paved the way for his music career.
In 1967, Negron joined Danny Hutton and Cory Wells to form Three Dog Night, a vocal trio that blended R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, and urban doo-wop influences. The band quickly grew into one of the most successful acts of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their first million-selling single, One, written by Harry Nilsson, set the tone for a remarkable run that included Joy To The World (Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog), Easy To Be Hard, An Old Fashioned Love Song, and The Show Must Go On. The band later expanded to include guitarist Michael Allsup, keyboardist Jimmy Greenspoon, bassist Joe Schermie, and drummer Floyd Sneed.
Three Dog Night achieved extraordinary commercial success, producing 21 top 40 Billboard hits and selling more than 60 million records worldwide. The band appeared on the inaugural broadcast of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in 1972, cementing their place in American pop culture. However, by 1975, their chart dominance began to fade, and the band’s last Billboard Hot 100 hit, Til The World Ends, preceded internal tensions that ultimately caused the group to disband in 1976.
Negron’s rise to fame was shadowed by personal struggles. Heavy drug use during the band’s peak years led him to lose much of his fortune and, at one point, spend time on Los Angeles’ Skid Row. After multiple attempts at rehabilitation, he achieved sobriety in 1991, later embarking on a solo career that produced seven albums between 1995 and 2017. In 1999, he published Three Dog Nightmare, an autobiography detailing his tumultuous life, addiction, and eventual recovery.
Despite chronic COPD, Negron continued to tour for three decades, performing with remarkable resilience until the COVID-19 pandemic forced him into permanent retirement from live shows. He reconciled with former bandmate Danny Hutton in 2025, ending decades of estrangement.
Negron’s personal life reflected his commitment to family. He is survived by his wife Ami Albea Negron and five children, including Berry Oakley Jr., whom he helped raise, alongside nine grandchildren, five nieces, and two nephews. Hutton and Allsup remain the last surviving original members of Three Dog Night.
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