Chuck Negron, Founding Member Of Three Dog Night And Famous Singer Dies
Image Source: Montgomery Advertiser
Chuck Negron, one of the founding members and lead singer of Three Dog Night, passed away on February 2nd due to complications from heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The singer-songwriter died at his home in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
Negron was born on June 8th, 1942, in Manhattan, New York, to Puerto Rican nightclub singer Charles Negron and Elizabeth Rooke. His parents divorced when he was five, and he and his twin sister, Nancy, were raised by their mother, who placed them in a daycare facility that Chuck would later call an “orphanage,” despite it being a mansion in the Bronx that housed various enrichment activities. It did have long-term residents, but Chuck and Nancy were not among them. Negron sang in various local doo-wop groups and played basketball in high school, later playing for California State University.
He was invited by singer Danny Hutton to join him and Cory Wells in 1967 to form the group Three Dog Night. Though they struggled to find credibility with rock audiences of the time, who pushed back against them for not writing their own material, they had 21 top 40 hits penned by songwriters such as Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman (of Toy Story and Pixar fame), Paul Williams (of The Muppets fame), Robbie Robertson, Neil Young, and Tim Hardin, among several others. These hits included “One,” “Joy to the World,” “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” and “The Show Must Go On.”
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In the 1970s, however, Negron developed a heroin addiction, and he was arrested in Kentucky for possession of cocaine in 1975. Three Dog Night disbanded a year later in 1976.
Negron overcame his addiction in September 1991, and he began a solo career that lasted until the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, he released seven albums and released an autobiography titled Three Dog Nightmare.
He was estranged from his bandmates for years, even after a brief reunion in the 80s. However, Danny Hutton and Negron reconciled last year. Hutton continued to perform under the Three Dog Night banner as its sole surviving original member.
He is survived by his wife, Ami Albea, and his children from his previous marriages and relationships, Charles "Chuckie" Negron III, Shaunti Negron-Levick, Charlotte Rose, and Annabelle Negron.
The 60s rock world lost a legend, and his powerful voice will forever be ingrained into the hearts of those who grew up with the music of Three Dog Night. He will be missed.
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Sources: Associated Press, Variety, Wikipedia
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