Bandmates: Gilbert helped shape New Found Glory ‘for nearly three decades’
Chad Gilbert, a founding guitarist of the pop-punk band New Found Glory, died Sunday at age 45, his family announced. In a statement, the family said Gilbert “passed away peacefully in his sleep” and “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.” The family added that they were “devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us” yet “so grateful for how peacefully and smoothly he went.” The family did not disclose a cause of death.
In an April interview with People magazine, Gilbert said he had been diagnosed with stage-four adrenocortical carcinoma after doctors discovered three brain tumors, including one “the size of a walnut.” That discovery came as he had been undergoing treatment for metastatic pheochromocytoma, a type of adrenal cancer, since 2021.
Gilbert wrote on Instagram in March that he had undergone successful brain surgery on February 27 and was recovering in the hospital. “I regained function of my left hand immediately,” Gilbert wrote. His radiation oncologist, Gilbert wrote, had described the development this way: “This is not a fatal blow and not the end of your story, just the beginning of a new chapter.”
His wife, Lisa Cimorelli, told People that “all his treatments were working on his whole body, but they don’t cross the blood-brain barrier. So that’s why this was kind of like the last frontier of a place for things to grow wild, which is unfortunate.”
In August, Gilbert wrote on Instagram that he “was crushing it and gaining weight” when “suddenly I couldn’t sleep and felt like I couldn’t breathe.” He said he went to the emergency room and “discovered I had 4.5 liters of fluid in my lungs.” Gilbert said he was hospitalized for five days while doctors drained the fluid with a needle inserted between his ribs.
The family said Gilbert’s survivors include his wife, his daughter Lily, his mother Jackie and his brother Brian. They added that “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,” and that “He was a legendary musician, but his favorite accomplishment was being a husband and father,” and that “His biggest dreams came true.”
Bandmates Jordan Pundik, Ian Grushka and Cyrus Bolooki said in a statement that “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,” the bandmates said. They added that “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,” the bandmates wrote.
Founded in Coral Springs, Florida, in 1997, New Found Glory has released 14 studio albums, including its most recent, “Listen Up!.” The band is widely regarded as one of the most influential pop-punk acts of the early 2000s, with signature songs including “My Friends Over You,” “Hit or Miss” and “All Downhill From Here.”
The band had been touring throughout the summer. Several more shows had been scheduled, including dates in Orlando, Florida, and Sacramento, California.