Three Dog Night Icon Check Negron Dead At 83
(117) Chuck Negron, acclaimed musician, notorious rock star, and founding member of Three Dog Night, died peacefully at the age of 83 at his home in Studio City, California on Monday, February 2 surrounded by his loving family. Through his six decades of success, and all the ups-and-downs, his large, unconventional family was most important to him. He 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, his 9 grandchildren, 5 nieces and 2 nephews, as well as his children's mothers, Paula Servetti, Julia Negron, Robin Silna, and Kate Vernon.
He was predeceased by his parents, Charles Negron and Elizabeth Rooke, and his twin sister Nancy Negron Dean. After decades of estrangement between him and fellow Three Dog Night founder, Danny Hutton, the two men met last year in a timely effort to exchange apologies and bury the hatchet.
Charles Negron II was born June 8, 1942 to Charles Negron, a Puerto Rican nightclub performer, and Elizabeth Rooke, the couple divorced when he was two years old. He grew up in the Bronx, playing basketball and singing in doo wop groups from an early age. He was recruited by Allan Hancock College and, later, California State University to play basketball, bringing him to Los Angeles where he continued to explore work in music. In 1967, he joined Danny Hutton and the late Cory Wells to form Three Dog Night, a vocal trio focused on out-of-the-box harmonies, cutting-edge production, and the best songs they could find. This approach made them one of the most successful bands of the late '60s and early '70s. The band was expanded to include guitarist Michael Allsup, and the late musicians Jimmy Greenspoon, Joe Schermie, and Floyd Sneed. Hutton and Allsup are the last living members of the original band, and continue to tour as Three Dog Night.
Negron's lead vocals appear on classics like "Joy To The World (Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog)," "One (Is The Loneliest Number)," "Easy To Be Hard," "Old Fashioned Love Song," "The Show Must Go On," and more. With heavy drug use rampant during their quick ascension to the top, Negron developed an addiction that took it a step too far. The band's success was stymied by fractions internally, and fell apart at their peak. Negron's addiction overtook him, he spent his fortune on drugs and even ended up on Los Angeles' notorious Skid Row for a time. After many rehabilitation attempts, he finally got clean in 1991 and went on to have a successful solo career, releasing seven albums between '95 and 2017. He released a highly-acclaimed book, Three Dog Nightmare in 1999, which was an honest recount of the ups and downs of his life, truthfully claiming responsibility for his downfalls and strengthening his path of rehabilitation.
In his later years, Negron continued to tour heavily, even through chronic COPD for three decades. He developed cutting-edge strategies to continue to perform at a high-level despite setbacks, and was proud of his vocal abilities until his last shows. The COVID-19 pandemic sidelined him permanently, as touring became impossibly unsafe with his condition. In his final months, he battled heart failure in addition to the COPD. Chuck Negron was a testament to never giving up - persevering through everything life throws at you, everything you may throw at yourself, and striving on.
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