C.J. Snare of Firehouse performs in concert at the Cedar Park Center on April 24, 2016 in Cedar Park, Texas. Gary Miller/Getty Images
C.J. Snare, the lead vocalist and a founding member of Firehouse, has died. He was 64.
The band shared the news of Snare’s passing on Sunday (April 7) in a statement on the official Firehouse Facebook page.
“Today is a sad day for Rock N Roll,” the message began. “It is with great sorrow we are letting the world know we have lost our brother: CJ Snare, the rock and roll warrior, lead vocalist, and a founding member of Firehouse.”
The statement says the singer — who was expected to return to touring this summer, following recovery from abdominal surgery Snare said was planned in the fall — “passed unexpectedly” at his home Friday night (April 5).
In October, Snare updated fans on Instagram that he’d underwent surgery, and that it was “time to recover and get back to the stage.”
On March 27, Snare wrote, “I’ll be back on stage with FireHouse before you know it. Health is first so making a FULL recovery before my return.”
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“We are all in complete shock with CJ’s untimely passing,” the group wrote on Saturday, highlighting Snare’s vocal talent and noting he’d been on the road with FireHouse “non-stop the past 34 years.”
After signing with Epic Records in 1989, Firehouse had two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in the early ’90s with power ballads “Love of a Lifetime” in 1991 and “When I Look Into Your Eyes” in 1992.
Firehouse’s statement on Snare’s death ended with condolences “to the entire Snare family, Katherine Little, friends, and all our beloved fans all over the world. ‘Reach for the Sky’ CJ! You will be forever missed by family, friends, fans and your band mates. You’re singing with the angels now.”
