Chad Gilbert, New Found Glory founding member, dead at 45

Chad Gilbert, the guitarist who helped build New Found Glory into one of the defining bands of early-2000s pop-punk, died on the morning of September 20 at age 45. He passed away peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his wife Lisa Cimorelli, his mother Jackie, and close friends and family—exactly as he had hoped. The band and Cimorelli announced his death together on Instagram, revealing what those closest to him already knew: that Gilbert had been fighting stage 4 adrenal cancer since 2021, a disease that had metastasized across his body with relentless speed.

Gilbert's illness accelerated sharply in recent months. In February, while New Found Glory was promoting their latest album "Listen Up!", he began experiencing weakness on his left side and trouble walking. A scan revealed three tumors in his brain. One required emergency surgery. After the operation, his diagnosis shifted to adrenocortical carcinoma, a rarer and more aggressive form of adrenal cancer that originates in the outer layer of the gland rather than the inner. He underwent radiation and immunotherapy to address the remaining two brain tumors. By March, he was posting on Instagram about a recovery that had been "bumpy at times," but he was determined to keep moving forward.

What happened next became a small miracle in the arc of his decline. In June, Gilbert returned to the stage in Nashville with New Found Glory, performing a handful of songs while seated on a mobility scooter. His daughter Lily, five years old, watched from the crowd. "I got to play a show in front of my daughter, something I truly never thought I'd get to do again," he wrote afterward. The post carried the weight of a man who understood how close he had come to missing that moment entirely. He thanked his wife, his medical team, the nurses and doctors who had kept him alive. "So many feelings all at once," he wrote.

Gilbert had been the founding member of New Found Glory since 1997, when he and the other members—Jordan Pundik on vocals, Ian Grushka on bass, and Cyrus Bolooki on drums—were teenagers in Florida. The band broke through in 2002 with "Sticks and Stones," an album that reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and produced the singles "My Friends Over You" and "Head On Collision." They followed with "Catalyst" in 2004, which climbed to No. 3. Over nearly three decades, they released twelve studio albums and toured the world relentlessly. Gilbert appeared on every one of them. Beyond New Found Glory, he had worked as a vocalist for the hardcore band Shai Hulud, produced records for A Day to Remember, H2O, and State Champs, and collaborated with Fall Out Boy.

In their statement, the surviving members of New Found Glory described Gilbert not as a historical figure but as a living force in their creative lives. "Chad's guitar playing, songwriting, humor, and relentless drive helped shape New Found Glory for nearly three decades," they wrote. They spoke of the brotherhood they shared, the way he challenged them to grow as musicians and as people. "His influence will always be part of New Found Glory and his spirit will be felt on every stage we stand on, with every note we play."

Gilbert is survived by his wife Lisa, whom he married in 2020; his daughter Lily; his mother Jackie; and his brother Brian. He was born on March 9, 1981, in Coral Springs, Florida. His previous marriages—to Eisley singer Sherri DuPree in 2007 and to Hayley Williams of Paramore from 2016 to 2017—were part of a life lived publicly in the music world. But in his final years, he spoke most often about fatherhood and marriage as his greatest achievements. The hospital lobby had filled with visitors on short notice, a testament to how deeply he was loved. He had gotten to play one more show. He had gotten to say goodbye surrounded by the people who mattered most.