MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD (CelebrityAccess) — Three Dog Night announced on their Facebook page that their original keyboardist and backup vocalist, Jimmy Greenspoon, passed away after a battle with cancer.
"Today God took another for his rock and roll band in heaven – Jimmy Greenspoon left us today after a gallant and brave fight with cancer," the band's frontman Chuck Negron said via twitter.
Greenspoon helped to found Three Dog Night, which saw its apogee in the 1970s, releasing 12 gold albums and recording 21 consecutive Billboard Top 40 hits, seven of which went gold, includign "Momma Told Me Not To Come" and "Joy To The World" before going on hiatus in 1976.
The band also helped to introduce audiences to the work of songwriters like Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson
In addition to his work with Three Dog Night, Greenspoon performed and recorded with a whose who of artists, including Linda Ronstadt, Beck, Nils Lofgren, Jeff Beck, Leon Russell, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Stephen Stills.
Last fall, Greenspoon revealed that he was battling cancer and set up a gofundme.com page to help defray the costs, writing at the time:
"On October 11, I started having strange visions and sensations. My wife took me to the hospital where a CT Scan revealed a brain tumor. I was transported to a different hospital with a good neurological team. The tumor was removed on October 13th and diagnosed as a metastatic melanoma. Upon further examination, 3 spots were found on my right lung and one spot on my liver. There is a team of doctors working on a treatment plan, which they are confident will work. Only problem is I will be a cancer patient for the rest of my life and the costs will be astronomical!!"
The GoFundMe page is still active and donations can be made at: gofundme.com/fvte3g. – Staff Writers
