Matt Roberts, lead guitarist for 3 Doors Down, has been found dead from an apparent drug overdose at age 38.
Roberts was a founding member of 3 Doors Down. He formed the band with Brad Arnold and Todd Harrell in 1996 and left in 2012 citing health reasons for his departure.
At the time Roberts said, 3 Doors Down will always have a special place in my heart and it saddens me to take this time off. But my health has to be my first priority.”
Three Doors Down were an instant success with their debut album ‘The Better Life’ selling over 6 million copies in the USA with the follow-up ‘Away From The Sun’ adding another 4 million sales to the band tally.
The song that generated the fame was ‘Kryptonite’, a number 3 hit in the USA and number 8 in Australia.
3 Doors Down had a string of US hits including ‘Be Like That’ (no 24, 2001), ‘When I’m Gone’ (no 4, 2002), ‘Here Without You’ (no 5, 2003), ‘Let me Go’ (no 14, 2004) and ‘Its Not My Time’ (no 17, 2008).
3 Doors Down started the charity The Better Life Foundation (TBLF) in 2003, with a goal in mind to give as many children as possible a better life. Since its inception, TBLF has supported numerous charities nationwide including the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, and the Habitat for Humanity, as well as providing aid and assistance to the Gulf Coast region of Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina.
Matt Roberts’ last album with 3 Doors Down was ‘Time Of My Life’ in 2011. That album reached number 3 in the USA.
Matt’s death was announced by his father Darrell Roberts. Darrell was with his son near Wisconsin where Matt was due to perform at a charity event. Detectives were called to the hotel. It is expected that Matt died from an overdose of prescription pills.
