FireHouse frontman C.J. Snare has died at age 64, as his bandmates announced on social media. “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 wrote. Earlier this year, Snare underwent abdominal surgery due to colon cancer.

Snare was born in Washington, DC in 1959. He was a founding member of the band when it formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1984; they soon moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1990, they released their debut self-titled album, which included the Hot 100-charting singles “Don’t Treat Me Bad” and “Love Of A Lifetime,” both of which were co-written by Snare. They followed that up a couple years later with Hold Your Fire in 1992, which included the Top 10 hit “When I Look Into Your Eyes,” also a Snare co-write.

The band continued putting out albums until 2003, though mostly became a touring concern after that. They were set to go out on the road later this year. “As you are all aware, CJ was expected to be back on stage with the band this summer after recovering from surgery,” the FireHouse statement continued. “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.”