New Found Glory's Chad Gilbert Dies At 45
Chad Gilbert died peacefully in his sleep Sunday morning September 20 in Nashville. He was 45 years old.
His wife Lisa Cimorelli and his New Found Glory bandmates announced the news together. "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. He was a legendary musician, but his favorite accomplishment was being a husband and father. His biggest dreams came true."
Gilbert co-founded New Found Glory in Coral Springs, Florida in 1997 at age 16 and played on all 14 of the band's studio albums, from their 1999 debut Nothing Gold Can Stay through Listen Up!, released in February 2026. My Friends Over You, Vicious Love and Ready and Willing are among the songs he helped write that defined a generation of pop-punk.
He was first diagnosed with a cancerous adrenal gland tumor in 2021 and underwent surgery to remove it. In February 2026, he collapsed at home and doctors discovered three brain tumors. Emergency surgery removed one.
He underwent radiation and immunotherapy for the remaining two. His diagnosis was upgraded to stage 4 adrenocortical carcinoma. He returned to the stage June 8 in Nashville, playing guitar from a mobility scooter. He wrote: "I got to play a show in front of my daughter, something I truly never thought I would get to do again."
Mark Hoppus wrote: "Chad was the best friend to every person he met. These past years he fought his sickness with the soul of a joyous, courageous warrior." He is survived by Cimorelli, their daughter, his mother and his brother.
