Three Dog Night's Chuck Negron, voice behind 'Joy to the World,' dies at
83
[February 03, 2026]
By BETH HARRIS
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.
Negron also sang lead on “Easy To Be Hard” and “The Show Must Go On.”
The band's other hits include ”Black and White," “Mama Told Me (Not to
Come),” ”Never Been to Spain" and “Shambala.”
In December 1972, the band hosted and performed on the inaugural edition
of Dick Clark’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”
By 1975, album sales had declined and the band had its last Billboard
Hot 100 hit with “Til the World Ends.” Internal strife fractured the
group and it fell apart the next year.
In 1981, the group reunited, but Negron was dismissed 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.
Negron engaged in heavy drug use during the band's quick ascension to
the top of the charts. He spent his fortune on drugs and even ended up
on Los Angeles' Skid Row for a time.
After numerous stints in rehab, he became sober in 1991 and went on to
have a successful solo career, releasing seven albums between 1995 and
2017. His 1999 book, “Three Dog Nightmare,” detailed his ups and downs.
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Chuck Negron, former lead singer of Three Dog Night, sings to a
crowd during a Christmas Eve party, Dec. 24, 1997, at the Union
Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/John Hayes, File)
 After decades of estrangement
between him and Hutton, the two men reconciled last year. Hutton and
Michael Allsup are the lone surviving members.
Born Charles Negron II on June 8, 1942, he grew up in the Bronx
singing in doo wop groups from an early age. His parents divorced
when he was 2. He was recruited by California State University to
play basketball, which brought him to Los Angeles, where he began
working in the music industry.
In his later years, Negron toured through chronic COPD for three
decades. The COVID-19 pandemic sidelined him permanently.
Negron is survived by wife Ami Albea Negron and five children,
including Berry Oakley Jr., the son of Allman Brothers Band bassist
Berry Oakley, who was killed in a 1972 motorcycle accident. Negron
was for a time married to Julia Negron, the younger Oakley's mother,
and helped raise infant Berry Jr.
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