Brad Arnold, the lead singer and founding member of American rock band 3 Doors Down, has died at the age of 47 after being diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer.

A representative for Arnold said he died peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, surrounded by his wife and family.

Arnold fronted the Mississippi-based band from its beginnings in 1996 and remained its longest-serving performer and only original member. He wrote the group’s breakout 2000 hit “Kryptonite” while still in high school, a song that later became one of the defining rock singles of the era and has logged more than 1.2 billion plays on Spotify.

The singer publicly shared news of his illness last year, revealing in May that he had been unwell and went to hospital for tests. In a message posted to the band’s Instagram account, Arnold said doctors diagnosed him with clear cell renal carcinoma that had spread to his lung, describing it as stage four.

Clear cell renal carcinoma is the most common type of kidney cancer. Stage 4 cancer, often referred to as metastatic cancer, means the disease has spread from its original site to other parts of the body.

Arnold said the diagnosis meant 3 Doors Down would need to cancel their forthcoming tour. He ended his message by asking supporters to keep him in their prayers and referenced the band’s song “It’s Not My Time,” adding: “God loves you. We love you. See you.”

The band’s debut album, The Better Life, released in 2000, went platinum seven times over. They went on to release five more studio albums. Arnold also spoke openly in recent years about recovery, having quit drinking in 2016 and later discussing sobriety around the period of the band’s album Us and the Night.

3 Doors Down also drew major attention in 2017 when they performed at Donald Trump’s first inauguration, playing renditions of “Kryptonite,” “The Broken,” “When I’m Gone,” and “Here Without You.”

The news was first reported in The Independent.

More updates are expected.