In 1987, rocker C.J. Snare’s band Maxx Warrior broke up, but he quickly regrouped by helping form the band Firehouse. He remained a member of the band for almost 40 years. 

TMZ broke the sad news that Snare has died at the age of 64 years old. Snare’s daughter, Heather, confirmed the news of her father’s death on Friday April 5, 2024. She shared that while his official cause of death is cardiac arrest, her father’s death follows a long battle with cancer.

Snare sang and played the keyboard on all 7 albums that Firehouse released. The band is best known for hits like “Here for You,” “Don’t Treat Me Bad,” “I Live My Life for You” and “When I Look Into Your Eyes.”

Upon learning the news of Snare’s death, Perry Richardson, another Firehouse cofounder and former bassist for the band told TMZ that Snare will be missed very much. He called Snare one of the greatest voices in all of rock history.

On the band’s official Facebook page, Firehouse shared a statement regarding Snare’s death. The statement begins, “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.”

Then the band shared the circumstances surrounding Snare’s death explaining, “CJ snare passed unexpectedly at home Friday night, April 5, 2024. He was a young 64 years old. As you are all aware, CJ was expected to be back on stage with the band this summer after recovering from surgery. We are all in complete shock with CJ’s untimely passing.”

According to the Daily Mail, Snare had abdominal surgery in 2023, which is the surgery Firehouse referenced in their message to their fans on Facebook. The surgery forced him to take a break from touring, but it sounds like he had hoped to hit the road again in the near future.

While Snare was not married at the time of his death, he had been in a long term relationship with Katherine Little for more than eight years. Little also shared the news of her partner’s death on Facebook. She wrote, “It is with a heavy heart that I write this and it’s extremely difficult to find the right words. CJ left this world on Friday, April 5th. I’ve had 8+ wonderful years with this man and I love him to his core.”

Little also gave more details about the cancer battle Heather mentioned. She explained, “In September of 2020, CJ was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. His initial prognosis was grim, but that didn’t stop him. We went for a second opinion and in September of 2021, he had a life-saving operation that gave us these last years with him. He was so incredibly positive during this whole disease. He was so strong. He never lost hope.” 

She also explained that the surgery he had in 2023 was related to his cancer battle. She wrote, “Last spring, he started having some more issues and he had another surgery in October 2023. This last surgery left him very weak and unable to live a full life. I’ve been by his side from day 1 and I would have never given up on him.”

Snare is survived by his three children.