New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert has died aged 45 after a years-long battle with rare adrenal cancer, his wife and former bandmates have announced.
Gilbert died peacefully in his sleep on the morning of September 20, surrounded by friends and family, with his wife Lisa Cimorelli and mother Jackie by his side.
“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,” Cimorelli and the band said in a statement.
The announcement added that Gilbert was “devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us”, but grateful that he had died peacefully. He is survived by Cimorelli, their daughter Lily, his mother and his brother Brian.
Gilbert was a founding member and lead guitarist of New Found Glory, having helped form the punk and alternative group in the late 1990s. His guitar playing, songwriting and “relentless drive” were credited with shaping the band across nearly three decades.
“He was a legendary musician, but his favourite accomplishment was being a husband and father,” the statement said. “His biggest dreams came true.”
Chad Gilbert’s battle with cancer
Gilbert revealed four years ago that he had been diagnosed with pheochromocytoma, a rare cancer of the adrenal gland. He was initially diagnosed in 2021 after Cimorelli found him unconscious in bed.
Doctors discovered a large tumour on his adrenal gland which had spread to his liver. Gilbert underwent surgery to remove it, along with part of his liver and his gallbladder, and was declared cancer-free the following month.
The cancer returned in his spine in August 2022, leading to a six-hour operation. The following year, he began chemotherapy after nodules were found in his lungs.
In February, Gilbert was taken to hospital after struggling to control the movements of his left hand and beginning to stumble and fall. A CT scan showed three new tumours in his brain, which were removed during surgery in March.
He returned to the stage in June in Nashville, appearing in a wheelchair and becoming tearful as he thanked the medical staff who had treated him.
“I want to thank all of the nurses and doctors who have kept me alive for the past four years,” he told the crowd. “I want to be here with my four-year-old daughter who wouldn’t have seen me play tonight if it wasn’t for you, so thank you.”
After his operation, Gilbert said his recovery had been difficult but that he was feeling better and growing stronger. He added that he was looking forward to sharing more music with fans.
In their tribute, New Found Glory’s members said Gilbert had challenged them to develop as musicians, performers and people through more than a dozen albums and years of touring.
“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,” they said.
Gilbert was previously married to Paramore singer Hayley Williams. The couple, who began dating in 2008, married in 2016 before separating the following year and finalising their divorce several months later.
He had also been briefly married to singer Sherri DuPree in 2007. Gilbert married Cimorelli in 2020, and they welcomed their daughter in July 2021.
