Matt Roberts, a founding member of the band 3 Doors Down, was found dead yesterday morning (August 20). The guitarist, who left the band in 2012 after 16 years, was discovered lying unconscious in the hallway of a hotel in West Bend, Wisconsin. No official cause of death has been reported as of yet, but Roberts reportedly had a history of prescription pill addiction, according to a statement made by his father Darrell to CNN. The elder Roberts further told the news network that he believes his son died of an overdose.
Matt Roberts was reportedly in the area at the time of death for rehearsals for a “Rockin’ the Heroes” fundraising concert for veterans. The concert was to be Roberts’ first public event since leaving 3 Doors Down.
Roberts co-founded 3 Doors Down as a trio in Mississippi in 1996 with lead singer Brad Arnold and bassist Todd Harrell. The band, which has subsequently undergone several other personnel shifts, with Arnold the only remaining original member, found national success in 2000 with their debut single “Kryptonite,” which rose to #3 on the U.S. pop singles chart and was also featured in the popular video games Guitar Hero 5 and Rock Band Unplugged). “Kryptonite” was also #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for nine weeks and #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks for 11 weeks. It was the band’s highest-charting single.
On Sunday afternoon (August 21), Arnold wrote on the band’s Facebook page: “Words cannot express our sadness as we hear of the loss of our brother, Matt. He was a truly talented artist and great friend. His memory will live on through the songs we all created. He will be greatly missed.”
Roberts’ departure from 3 Doors Down came in May 2012, when he announced that he needed to focus on his health. Darrell Roberts said that his son suffered from anxiety issues from his grueling touring schedule.
3 Doors Down has released six studio albums to date, the most recent being Us and the Night earlier this year. Their debut album, 2000’s The Better Life, went six-times platinum. Two others, Seventeen Days (2005) and 3 Doors Down (2008), topped the U.S. Billboard album chart.
