Chad Gilbert, founding member and lead guitarist of the Florida pop-punk band New Found Glory, has died at the age of 45. The band announced his death on social media on Sunday, six months after Gilbert revealed he was battling brain cancer. He had previously fought cancer in 2021.
According to the band's statement, "On the morning of September 20th, Chad Everett Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep." The statement continued, "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."
Gilbert's bandmates described being "devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us, yet so grateful for how peacefully and smoothly he went." They added that the number of visitors who gathered at the hospital lobby on short notice reflected "how beloved and cherished Chad was, and always will be." The band noted that while he was "a legendary musician," his favorite accomplishment was being a husband and father, and that "his biggest dreams came true."
The band credited Gilbert's guitar playing, songwriting, humor, and drive with shaping New Found Glory for nearly three decades, across more than a dozen albums and extensive world touring. "Chad challenged all of us to grow as musicians, performers, and human beings," the statement read. "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."
Photo: LostLikeTearsInRain (talk), CC BY 3.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
