Chad Gilbert, Founding Guitarist of New Found Glory, Dead at 45

Chad Gilbert, the founding guitarist of pop-punk icons New Found Glory, has died at the age of 45. The band and his wife, Lisa Cimorelli, announced that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of September 20, surrounded by his family.

Gilbert co-founded New Found Glory in 1997 in Coral Springs, Florida, and spent nearly three decades as the band’s guitarist. Their eleventh studio album, Listen Up!, was released just this February. He had been open about his health journey since a 2021 diagnosis of a rare tumor, and earlier this year he shared that he had undergone brain cancer surgery after losing movement in his left hand during a Nashville performance. The band’s statement remembered him as a legendary musician whose greatest joy was being a husband and father.

Tributes from bandmates, fellow musicians, and fans have been pouring in across social media. New Found Glory’s impact on pop-punk is impossible to overstate, and Gilbert was a massive part of that legacy. What’s your favorite New Found Glory song? Let us know in the comments.