Chad Gilbert, founding guitarist of pop-punk band New Found Glory, has died at the age of 45 after years of battling cancer.
Gilbert died on Sept. 20, with his wife, Lisa Cimorelli, and his family announcing that he passed away peacefully in his sleep surrounded by loved ones. His family did not publicly state a specific cause of death.
Gilbert had been open about his health struggles since being diagnosed in 2021 with metastatic pheochromocytoma, a rare form of adrenal cancer. Earlier this year, doctors discovered three tumors in his brain, leading to emergency brain surgery in February.
He later revealed that his diagnosis had changed to stage-four adrenocortical carcinoma. Despite the seriousness of his condition, Gilbert continued documenting his treatment and recovery, while expressing his determination to return to music.
That determination led to an emotional return to the stage in June, when Gilbert joined New Found Glory during a show in his hometown of Nashville. Performing from a motorized scooter, he played some of the band’s best-known songs, including “Hit or Miss” and “My Friends Over You.”
Gilbert said the performance was especially meaningful because his young daughter was there to watch him play — something he had previously feared might never happen again.
Gilbert co-founded New Found Glory in Coral Springs, Florida, in 1997 when he was 17. The group became one of the defining bands of the pop-punk boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s, releasing more than a dozen studio albums and building a global following through years of touring.
Among the band’s best-known songs are “My Friends Over You,” “Hit or Miss” and “All Downhill From Here.” Gilbert also contributed as a songwriter and musician beyond New Found Glory, including work with other major acts in the alternative and pop-punk scene.
Following his death, New Found Glory’s members remembered Gilbert for his guitar playing, songwriting, humour and relentless drive, saying his influence had shaped the band across nearly three decades.
Tributes also came from musicians including Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, who described Gilbert as a close friend and praised the way he faced his illness.
Gilbert is survived by his wife, Lisa Cimorelli, their daughter Lily, his mother Jackie and his brother Brian. His family said that while he was a celebrated musician, being a husband and father was his greatest accomplishment.
For a generation that grew up with New Found Glory’s music, Gilbert’s death marks the loss of one of the musicians closely associated with the pop-punk era. His final months also showed a performer determined to return to the stage despite an increasingly difficult battle with cancer — leaving behind a musical legacy that will continue long after his final performance.
