Chad Gilbert, New Found Glory’s founding guitarist, dies at 45 - USA Today

Chad Gilbert, the longtime New Found Glory guitarist and cofounder, has died. He was 45.

The "My Friends Over You" singer died “peacefully in his sleep” Sunday, Sept. 20, according to a joint Instagram statement from his wife, Lisa Cimorelli, and his band. Cimorelli and his mother, Jackie, were by his side as he “took his final breaths.”

The Florida-born rocker's wife and bandmates said they were “devastated and shocked” by how quickly he died but expressed gratitude that his final moments were peaceful.

“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,” the statement said. “He was a legendary musician, but his favorite accomplishment was being a husband and father. His biggest dreams came true.”

Gilbert is survived by his wife and mother; his daughter, Lily; and his brother, Brian.

The joint statement announcing Gilbert's death did not specify a cause.

Before his death, the pop-punk artist had been documenting his battle with cancer since 2021.

It first began on Dec. 5, 2021, when his wife found him unresponsive at their home and performed CPR before paramedics took him to the hospital. Gilbert later said doctors determined that a rare, malignant adrenal-gland tumor called pheochromocytoma had caused life-threatening blood sugar and blood pressure changes.

The tumor had metastasized from his adrenal gland to his liver, though an MRI showed it had not spread elsewhere at the time, the "Head on Collision" musician said.

After undergoing surgery on Dec. 13 to remove the tumor, he said his surgeon had removed all visible evidence of the tumor. From there, he spent days recovering in the ICU before returning home Dec. 19 to await details about whether further treatment would be necessary once pathology results were available.

After a brief, cancer-free period in 2022, the disease returned in his spine and later affected his lungs and brain. Amid ongoing treatment, the cancer affected more areas of his body, requiring intensive radiation in 2023 and more treatment in August 2025.

His symptoms worsened during this year's Feb. 20 show in Nashville, Tennessee, when he lost control of his left hand. A CT scan later found three brain tumors, including one walnut-sized tumor.

By April 2026, his diagnosis had been revised from metastatic pheochromocytoma to stage 4 adrenocortical carcinoma (or adrenal cancer), a rare and aggressive adrenal gland cancer. According to Mayo Clinic, when found early, a cure for the cancer "may be possible"; however, a cure "becomes less likely" when the cancer has spread beyond the adrenal glands.

Gilbert managed a long-awaited comeback to the stage in June, using a mobility scooter, to perform with New Found Glory in Nashville.

New Found Glory is a hardcore punk band that was founded in Coral Springs, Florida, in 1997. The group's original lineup consisted of Gilbert, Jordan Pundik, Ian Grushka and Steve Klein. The group cultivated a massive underground fanbase before rising to mainstream stardom with hits like "All Downhill From Here," "Dressed to Kill" and "Hit or Miss," among others.

Apart from his success with the band, Gilbert famously dated fellow pop-rocker Hayley Williams of Paramore. He and the "Only Exception" singer were together for nearly a decade before he proposed to her in December 2014. They wed in 2016 but divorced the following year and remained friends.