New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert has died at 45

Chad Gilbert, lead guitarist and co-founder of Florida pop-punk band New Found Glory, has died at 45. The news was confirmed in a joint statement issued by the band and Gilbert's wife, Lisa Cimorelli, who said the musician passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday morning (Sept. 20), surrounded by friends and family.

The statement notes he took his final breaths with his wife and mother at his side, "just as he wished," and points to the crowd of visitors filling the hospital lobby as proof of how beloved he was. It also stresses that, beyond the music, his proudest role was being a husband and father. He is survived by Lisa, his daughter Lily, his mother Jackie and his brother Brian.

Gilbert had been dealing with cancer for years. He was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2021 and had a tumor removed from his spine in 2022. Roughly six months ago, he revealed he had undergone brain surgery to remove three tumors.

He helped form New Found Glory in 1997, after fronting hardcore band Shai Hulud from 1995 to 1998, a role he returned to between 2012 and 2013. In their statement, the band said Gilbert's playing, songwriting, humor and drive shaped the group for nearly three decades across more than a dozen albums and countless tours.

Gilbert was also an in-demand producer, with credits on A Day to Remember records (Homesick, What Separates Me from You and Common Courtesy), H2O's Nothing to Prove and State Champs' The Finer Things, among others. He played in Hazen Street and International Superheroes of Hardcore and released solo music as What's Eating Gilbert.