Charles Henry Mosley III (December 26, 1959 – November 9, 2017)[1] was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for the rock band Faith No More from 1984 to 1988.

He contributed to the band's early sound, combining elements of funk, punk, and rap-rock, and appeared on their first two albums, We Care a Lot (1985) and Introduce Yourself (1987).

By 1987, Faith No More were gaining mainstream traction, signing with major label Slash Records (Warner Music Group) and touring with prominent acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers.

According to Billy Gould, he and other band members began to consider firing Mosley during a 1988 tour of Europe when his behaviour became increasingly erratic.

[6] At the time of his death, there was an ongoing legal battle between Manifesto Records and Faith No More regarding the right to release the band's debut album We Care a Lot.

During the first week of what was to be a year-long tour for Man with the Action Hair, the band's driver fell asleep at the wheel, causing a major accident.

Mosley moved to Cleveland, Ohio in March 1996, where he spent several years writing and compiling material while raising his two daughters and working as a chef in various restaurants.

Guest appearances on the LP include Jonathan Davis (Korn),[7] John 5 (Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie), Michael Cartellone (Lynyrd Skynyrd), and Roddy Bottum (Imperial Teen, Faith No More), and Reversed Image labelmate Leah Lou.

On April 14, 2010, Mosley made an appearance on stage at a Faith No More concert in San Francisco, the first time since 1988 that he performed with the band.

[10] In fall 2015, Mosley published a non-fiction essay in an anthology titled A Matter of Words, about the writing and recording of the Faith No More track "Mark Bowen".

[16] In 2017 Mosley joined Primitive Race, the industrial collective created by Chris Kniker featuring guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite (Peter Murphy, Tricky, The Mission, Gary Numan), Erie Loch (LUXT, Blownload, Exageist), and drummer Dale Crover of Melvins.

The lineup released sophomore album Soul Pretender with Metropolis Records on November 3, 2017, to positive reviews, just a week before Mosley's passing.

[17] In July 2017, Mosley played a fictional version of himself in the film Like an Open Heart It Shines, written and directed by David Collupy.

[19] On the evening of November 9, 2017, Mosley, 57, was found dead by his partner Pip Logan and their friend on the living room floor of their Cleveland home.

[20][21] His family released a statement that read: After a long period of sobriety, Charles Henry Mosley III lost his life, on November 9th, 2017, due to the disease of addiction.

He was a reckless and caterwauling force of energy who delivered with conviction and helped set us on a track of uniqueness and originality that would not have developed the way it had had he not been a part.

Some of Mosley's influences included David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Roxy Music, Killing Joke, Motown, Michael Jackson and Black Sabbath.

[24] His rock/rap singing style has been cited as an influence by successful rap rock and nu metal groups such as Korn, Disturbed, and Limp Bizkit.

"[26] The original recording of Faith No More's "We Care a Lot", for which he performed the vocals, has been featured as the theme song for the show Dirty Jobs as well as in the movies Grosse Pointe Blank and Bio-Dome, and it has been used in Major League Baseball games to introduce relief pitchers due to the refrain "it's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it.