Chad Gilbert, founding member and lead guitarist for the popular pop-punk band New Found Glory died after a five year long battle with cancer. He was 45.
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Gilbert’s wife Lisa Cimorelli shared the news on Instagram, and the band shared it on their other social media accounts.
“On the morning of September 20th, Chad Everett Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep,” she wrote.
“He left this world surrounded by friends and family and took his final breaths with his wife and mother by his side, just as he wished. We are devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us, yet so grateful for how peacefully and smoothly he went.”
She continued, writing “The amount of visitors that crowded the hospital lobby at a moment’s notice is a testament to how beloved and cherished Chad was, and always will be.”
“He was a legendary musician, but his favorite accomplishment was being a husband and father. His biggest dreams came true. He is survived by his wife, Lisa, his daughter, Lily, his mother, Jackie, and his brother, Brian.”
The surviving members of New Found Glory added their statement to Cimorelli’s.
“Chad’s guitar playing, songwriting, humor, and relentless drive helped shape New Found Glory for nearly three decades. Through more than a dozen albums, endless tours around the world, and more accolades than we ever could have imagined, Chad challenged all of us to grow as musicians, performers, and human beings,” they wrote.”
“While we are devastated to lose him, we are so grateful for the incredible life he lived, the memories we shared, and the brotherhood we had. 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.”
It was signed by Cimorelli, Jordan Pundik, Ian Grushka, Cyrus Bolooki, and Dan O’Connor.
Gilbert underwent emergency surgery in December 2021 to remove a “very rare tumor called a Pheochromocytoma,” he wrote on Instagram. In August 2022, he announced that the cancer had returned when a Pheochromocytoma tumor was found in his spine.
In February 2023, he announced that he had to have chemotherapy after tumors were found on his lungs and back. He had to undergo brain surgery after three tumors appeared in March 2026.
In June 2026, Gilbert shared with People that he had been diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma, or ACC. Doctors previously believed he had metastatic pheochromocytoma.
Despite the diagnosis, he told People, “I got my dream.”