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Matt Roberts, Former 3 Doors Down Guitarist, Dead At 38 From Apparent Overdose [Update]

By Lynnette Southwood
Published on: 10:41 PST, Aug 20, 2016

The former guitarist for 3 Doors Down, Matt Roberts, has died at 38-years-old from an apparent drug overdose. Matt’s dad Darrell Roberts told TMZ that the last time he saw his son was when they returned to their adjoining hotel rooms after Matt finished rehearsals at 1 a.m for a charity event just outside of Wisconsin. The next thing Darrell knew, detectives were informing him at 9 a.m. that his son was dead, passing away overnight.

Darrell Roberts said he believes the prescription pill overdose was accidental and that his family and Matt’s friends are “devastated” by the loss.

Matt Roberts was a founding member of the Mississippi rock band and was with the band from 1996 until 2012 when ongoing health problems involving his circulation forced him to leave. According to Loud Wire, Matt had battled with the condition for years, but the band’s demanding tour schedule (almost 300 dates a year) made the problem worse. While 3 Doors Down was in the midst of their Gang of Outlaws tour, Matt announced his departure from the band on May 23, 2012, saying it was time to leave the band to take care of his health.

“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.”

The band continued on with frontman Brad Arnold, guitarist Chris Henderson, bassist Todd Harrell, and drummer Greg Upchurch (formerly of Puddle of Mudd), and added guitarist Chet Roberts to replace Matt Roberts.

The band has fired Todd Harrell from the band in 2013, after he was charged with vehicular homicide in the death of 47-year-old Paul Shoulders. While awaiting trial, was found slumped over being the wheel of his vehicle in 2014 and a charge of DUI was added to the vehicular homicide. He was sentenced to five years on December 18, 2015, and must serve at least two years, according to WKRN.

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Matt Roberts (second from the left) and 3 Doors Down. [Image via Shutterstock]
Other than Todd Harrell, the members of 3 Doors Down have stayed out of the tabloids, especially Matt Roberts, who is consistently described as a “good guy”. Currently, 3 Doors Down is performing for their Us And The Night tour, and a gig in Springfield, Illinois, featuring ZZ Top, is scheduled for tomorrow. Thus far, Matt Roberts’ former band members have not issued a statement. The band first gained recognition in 2000 with their debut single “Kryptonite” from their six-time platinum album A Better Life, and the song has been featured on Rock Band Unplugged and Guitar Hero 5.

3 Doors Down has sold 12 million copies from their six released albums and Time of My Life — released on July 19, 2011, — was the last album Matt Roberts was a part of.

UPDATE:

The West Bend Police Department confirmed via Facebook that they responded to a call about a man in the hallway at a Hampton Inn that was either asleep or passed out. Upon arriving they discovered the man was deceased and emergency personnel were unable to revive him. The man was identified as Matthew Roberts. There were no signs of trauma to the body and an autopsy is scheduled for August 21 to determine the cause of death.

This post will continue to update as more information becomes available.

[Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images]

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