New Found Glory's Chad Gilbert Dies at 45: Band Statement and Mark Hoppus' Tribute

Chad Gilbert, founding member and lead guitarist of the Florida pop-punk band New Found Glory, died on Sept. 20, 2026, at 45. He had revealed six months earlier that he was battling brain cancer; he had also fought cancer in 2021.

The band's statement

"On the morning of September 20th, Chad Everett Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep," New Found Glory wrote. "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."

The band said it was "devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us," and that the number of people who came to the hospital on short notice showed "how beloved and cherished Chad was." His favorite accomplishment, they wrote, was being a husband and father. They credited his guitar playing, songwriting, humor and drive with shaping the band across nearly three decades and more than a dozen albums: "His influence will always be part of New Found Glory and his spirit will be felt on every stage we stand on."

Mark Hoppus remembers him

Blink-182's Mark Hoppus, a friend since New Found Glory's earliest days, wrote a tribute for Rolling Stone:

• The beginning: Gilbert and his friends turned up at every Blink-182 show in Florida, and Hoppus later championed the band's debut on Drive-Thru Records, pushing his own management to sign them. New Found Glory joined his label and management and toured with Blink-182.
• "First Date": On the Take Off Your Pants and Jacket tour Gilbert rode the bus with Hoppus and his wife, and appeared in the "First Date" video the next day.
• Not Without a Fight (2009): Hoppus worked on the album and remembered Gilbert defusing studio arguments with "Okay come on let's do cool shit."
• The last goodbye: The two traded texts about his cancer treatments, and Hoppus last saw him backstage in Nashville, walking with a cane. When Hoppus apologized for the news of a new medical issue, Gilbert answered: "Mark, don't worry about it! This one's gonna work!"

Sources · New Found Glory's statement; Rolling Stone, Sept. 21, 2026.