C.J. Snare, Frontman and Founder of FireHouse Rock Band, Dies ‘Unexpectedly’ at 64

Singer C.J. Snare, the frontman and founding member of the hard rock band FireHouse, died “unexpectedly” on Friday at the age of 64.

“Today is a sad day for Rock N Roll. 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 band said in a Sunday social post.

“CJ snare passed unexpectedly at home Friday night, April 5, 2024. He was a young 64 years old,” FireHouse continued. “As you are all aware, CJ was expected to be back on stage with the band this summer after recovering from surgery.”

The band went on to explain that Snare had fronted FireHouse for more than three decades.

“We are all in complete shock with CJ’s untimely passing. CJ was was arguably one of the best vocal talents of a generation, touring the world with Firehouse non stop the past 34 years,” the rock band said.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out 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,” FireHouse concluded.

While the band did not disclose a cause of death, Snare’s daughter Heather told TMZ her father died after a long battle with cancer, and that the official cause of death is cardiac arrest.

Snare’s partner of eight years, Katherine Little, said in a social media post that the singer was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in September 2020.

“His initial prognosis was grim, but that didn’t stop him,” Little said, adding that Snare had undergone “a life-saving operation” in 2021 “that gave us these last years with him.”

“He was so incredibly positive during this whole disease,” she said. “He was so strong. He never lost hope. All he wanted was to be the CJ that you all know and love.”

Little added that last spring, Snare “started having some more issues and he had another surgery in October 2023,” which “left him very weak and unable to live a full life.”

“I am completely heartbroken and at a complete loss for words. I started my musical journey with you. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know if I would be where I am today,” Perry Richardson, another FireHouse co-founder and the former bassist for the band, said.

“So grateful for our longtime friendship,” Richardson added. “Please send all of your love and prayers to my brother, friend and bandmate C J Snare, his family, his love Katherine Little and all of his friends.”

FireHouse was founded in 1984 by Snare, Richardson, guitarist Bill Leverty, and drummer Michael Foster. The band was signed by Epic Records in 1989 and released their self-titled debut album in 1990, which went double platinum in the United States, selling more than two million copies.

Some of the band’s successful singles included “Don’t Treat Me Bad” and “When I Look Into Your Eyes,” with their most successful hit being “Love of a Lifetime,” which made it to No. 3 on Billboard’s Top 20 hits and sold more than 500,000 copies.

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Snare sang and played keyboards on all seven FireHouse albums. He is survived by three children and Little.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and X/Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.