New Found Glory founding member and lead guitarist Chad Gilbert has died at just 45, bringing his courageous, years-long fight against an aggressive form of cancer to a heartbreaking end.
Gilbert died peacefully in his sleep on the morning of September 20, surrounded by loved ones. His wife, singer Lisa Cimorelli, and his New Found Glory bandmates confirmed the devastating news in a joint social-media announcement.
"We are devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us, yet so grateful for how peacefully and smoothly he went," the family said, revealing that Gilbert's wife and mother were beside him as he took his final breaths. Friends reportedly filled the hospital lobby after learning that his condition had suddenly deteriorated.
The news is especially shocking because Gilbert had staged an emotional return to the concert stage only three months earlier. On June 8, the guitarist joined New Found Glory in Nashville for "Hit or Miss" and "My Friends Over You," performing from a motorized scooter following emergency brain surgery.
The appearance marked the first time Gilbert's four-year-old daughter, Lily, had watched her father perform with the band he helped create. What appeared to be a triumphant comeback has now become one of the final public memories of the pop-punk pioneer.
Gilbert had been fighting cancer since December 2021, when he was found unresponsive at home and rushed into emergency surgery. Doctors initially discovered a rare tumor on his adrenal gland. The cancer later spread to other parts of his body, requiring multiple operations, radiation and chemotherapy.
His battle took another frightening turn in February 2026 when Gilbert began stumbling and losing control of his left hand after a Nashville performance. Tests revealed three tumors in his brain, leading to emergency surgery on February 27. Although doctors successfully removed the tumors and Gilbert quickly regained movement in his hand, his diagnosis was later identified as stage 4 adrenocortical carcinoma, an aggressive adrenal cancer.
Even then, Gilbert refused to allow his diagnosis to become his entire identity. He continued writing, recording and encouraging others while undergoing treatment. New Found Glory's latest album, Listen Up!, was created during his health battle, with Gilbert recording guitar parts while receiving chemotherapy.
"I don't take this pain and waste it," Gilbert previously said. "I turn it into joy."
Formed in Florida in 1997, New Found Glory helped define the sound of early-2000s pop-punk. Gilbert's driving guitar work, songwriting instincts and creative leadership became essential to albums including Nothing Gold Can Stay, New Found Glory, Sticks and Stones and Catalyst. Songs such as "My Friends Over You," "Hit or Miss," "All Downhill From Here" and "Head on Collision" became anthems for a generation.
Gilbert also served as vocalist for influential hardcore band Shai Hulud and became a respected producer, working with artists including A Day to Remember, H2O and Fireworks. His influence extended well beyond the stage: he helped shape the muscular combination of punk melody and hardcore energy that countless younger bands later adopted.
Behind the music, however, Gilbert's greatest joy was reportedly the family he built with Cimorelli, whom he married in 2020. In one of his final major interviews, the guitarist spoke movingly about his wife and daughter, saying that despite his frightening diagnosis, he had received the life he always wanted.
"I got my dream," he said of becoming a husband and father.
Gilbert is survived by Cimorelli, their daughter Lily, his mother and his brother. For grieving fans, his story carries a painful but powerful message: even when he could no longer stand unaided onstage, he continued creating, loving his family and turning suffering into something that might strengthen others.
New Found Glory has lost one of its architects, pop-punk has lost one of its defining guitarists, and a young daughter has lost the father who fought long enough to let her see him perform one unforgettable time.
