Three Dog Night's Chuck Negron, voice behind 'Joy to the World,' dies at 83 [View all]

Source: AP

By BETH HARRIS
Updated 9:46 PM CST, February 2, 2026

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chuck Negron, a founding member of Three Dog Night whose lead vocals powered a string of hits including “Joy to the World,” “One” and “An Old Fashioned Love Song” for one of the top rock acts of the late 1960s and early ‘70s, died Monday. He was 83.

He died of complications from heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at his home in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to his publicist Zach Farnum.

Among other hits Negron sang lead on were “Easy To Be Hard” and “The Show Must Go On.” He was dismissed from the band in late 1985 because of recurring drug issues.

In 1967, Negron joined Danny Hutton and Cory Wells to form Three Dog Night, a vocal trio with roots in R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, and urban doo wop. They found success two years later with their first million-selling single “One,” written by Harry Nilsson.


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