Chuck Negron, Three Dog Night Co-Founder Who Sang ‘Joy to the World’ and Other Smashes, Dies at 83
Chuck Negron, one of the three founding members of the rock group Three Dog Night and lead singer on some of their biggest hits, died Monday at age 83. A statement from his publicist said Negron died peacefully at his home in Studio City, Calif., surrounded by family.
Negron’s voice was heard as the lead vocalist on such hits as “Joy To The World (Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog),” “One (Is the Loneliest Number),” “Old Fashioned Love Song,” “The Show Must Go On” and “Easy To Be Hard.”
Although no exact cause of death was given, a statement said that Negron struggled with heart failure in his final months, in addition to the chronic COPD he had dealt with for three decades.
Three Dog Night was founded in 1967 by Negron, Danny Hutton and Cory Wells. The group struggled to find credibility with some rock audiences, who resisted the band for not writing its own songs as the singer/songwriter age took over. Yet they had 21 top 40 hits, many of them offering early shots to some of the top writers of the day. They recorded material by Nilsson, Randy Newman, Laura Nyro, Paul Williams, Hoyt Axton and Leo Sayer, among others.
The partnership fell apart in the ’80s, due in part to Negron’s well-documented and admitted struggles with drugs, including a heroin addiction that he finally kicked. Hutton carried on under the Three Dog Night banner, and continues to tour behind it today, as the sole original member. Negron eked out a successful career as a solo artist on the oldies circuit, until the pandemic put a halt to his touring.
An obituary provided by Negron’s representative said that although he and Hutton had been estranged for decades, they met up last year ” in a timely effort to exchange apologies and bury the hatchet.”
In a December interview Hutton did with Catalyst’s Bill DeYoung, he spoke of that meeting with Negron. “They’re making a documentary on us now, and the producer asked me… ‘Would you and Chuck ever get back together again?’ I just looked at her and said, ‘Absolutely not. No way.’ She said, ‘He would love to talk to you,’ and I said ‘Look, I don’t want to talk to him.’ A lot of hurt, all of that stuff. And then I finally said, all right, you know what? I’ll talk to him. So we went to his place – she had a whole crew there – and we hugged. And made up. It was wonderful. It was a great relief to get that burden … it’s not healthy to keep that anger. Anger always comes from hurt, I think.”
Negron is survived by his wife, Ami Albea Negron; his children Shaunti Negron Levick, Berry Oakley, Charles Negron III, Charlotte Negron, and Annabelle Negron; his brother Rene (Jody) Negron, sister Denise (Janey) Negron; nine grandchildren, five nieces and two nephews, as well as his children’s mothers, Paula Servetti, Julia Negron, Robin Silna and Kate Vernon.
More to come…
