Chad Gilbert, founding guitarist for the punk band New Found Glory, has died. “On the morning of September 20th, Chad Everett Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep,” the band announced in a statement today. “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.” Gilbert revealed six months ago he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. He was 45.
An additional statement credited to Gilbert’s bandmates and wife Lisa Cimorelli reads as follows:
On the morning of September 20th, Chad Everett Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep. 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. 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.
“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. 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.”
Rest in peace, Chad. We love you forever ❤️
Lisa, Jordan, Ian, Cyrus, and Dan
As a co-founder of New Found Glory, Gilbert helped to define a generation of pop-punk. The band’s melodic but hard-hitting sound made them one of the most popular and acclaimed bands on the Warped Tour scene in the late ’90s and 2000s. Their 2002 sophomore album Sticks And Stones, which spawned the Billboard Hot 100 hit “My Friends Over You,” is a Gold-certified classic of the pre-MySpace pop-punk scene. In addition to New Found Glory, Gilbert was the vocalist for the hardcore band Shai Hulud and for the New Found Glory side project International Superheroes Of Hardcore, and he released solo material under the name What’s Eating Gilbert.
Gilbert was born in Miami-area Coral Springs, Florida in 1981. He grew up there and found his way into the local punk scene as a teenager, joining Shai Halud on vocals at age 14. A year later, he left the group to complete the original lineup of New Found Glory with Jordan Pundik, Ian Grushka, Stephen Klein, and Joe Marino. The band was an immediate sensation, signing to punk hub Drive-Thru Records as teens and releasing their self-titled debut album, including the hit “Hit Or Miss,” in 1999. Their blend of pop-punk melodies and hardcore breakdowns would prove to be massively influential for years to come, particularly within the easycore subgenre.
In 2002, coinciding with the release of Sticks And Stones, New Found Glory co-headlined the Warped Tour and toured with Green Day. The wave of popularity led to 2004’s heavier Catalyst becoming their highest-charting album. Its lead single “All Downhill From Here” was an alternative rock hit, and the band again supported Green Day on their American Idiot tour. As New Found Glory continued to tour and record, Gilbert participated in the band’s hardcore covers project International Superheroes Of Hardcore. He rejoined Shai Halud in 2012 and 2013, a stint that resulted in the reunion album Reach Beyond The Sun.
Gilbert married Sherri DuPree of Eisley in 2007, but the couple divorced the same year. At that point, Gilbert began dating Paramore’s Hayley Williams, a relationship that would continue for the next decade. After years of dating, Gilbert and Williams were married in 2016 but divorced in 2017 due to Gilbert’s infidelity. He married Lisa Cimorelli of the group Cimorelli in 2020, and the couple welcomed a daughter in 2021.
Persistent health issues plagued Gilbert over his life, especially in recent years. In 2010, he had half of his thyroid removed after “suspcious cells” were discovered. In late 2021, he had a rare cancerous tumor called a pheochromocytoma removed after being found unresponsive at home. Another pheochromocytoma was discovered in his spine in 2022, followed by more in his lungs and back, which led to chemotherapy in 2023. In March of this year, he announced that he had undergone emergency brain surgery after three more tumors were discovered.
