Chad Gilbert Cause of death: New Found Glory guitarist dies; three months earlier he had returned to performing live
The guitarist and co-founder of New Found Glory died on September 20, surrounded by his family. In June, he had returned to the stage after undergoing emergency brain surgery.
"Chad Gilbert, guitarist and co-founder of New Found Glory, died on Sunday, September 20 at the age of 45 after several years of battling cancer. His wife, Lisa Cimorelli, and the band members announced the news and noted that the musician passed away in his sleep , accompanied by family members and loved ones. The cause of death has not yet been specified.
The death occurred three months after one of the most significant moments of his final years: his return to the stage. In June, Gilbert performed again with New Found Glory in Nashville, where he played guitar from a motorized scooter.
An illness that became complicated in 2026
Gilbert had been diagnosed in 2021 with metastatic pheochromocytoma, a rare tumor related to the adrenal glands. Over the following years, he received various treatments and underwent several procedures as the disease spread to other parts of his body.
In February 2026, the musician collapsed at home and had to undergo emergency brain surgery.
After the operation, he explained that his diagnosis had changed to stage 4 adrenocortical carcinoma . Until then, he had received different treatments, including immunotherapy, to fight the tumors affecting his body.
Despite his health condition, Gilbert returned to the stage on June 8 during a New Found Glory concert in Nashville. He took part in songs such as "Hit or Miss" and "My Friends Over You" from a motorized scooter. After the performance, he said he had been able to play in front of his daughter Lily, something he was not sure he would be able to do again.
“I had the opportunity to perform a concert in front of my daughter, something I never thought I would do again,” Gilbert wrote on Instagram referring to his daughter Lily after the concert. He also thanked “all the nurses and doctors, my incredible team that has kept me alive during my fight.”
Almost three decades with New Found Glory
Gilbert co-founded New Found Glory in 1997 and was one of the band's central figures for nearly three decades. As a guitarist, songwriter, and backing vocalist, he took part in more than a dozen albums and numerous international tours.
The group highlighted his musical and personal contribution after news of his death became known. In the joint statement with Cimorelli, his bandmates noted that his guitar playing, his compositions, his humor, and his dedication helped define New Found Glory throughout all those years.
Gilbert also worked as a producer with other bands from the punk and hardcore scene and developed side projects, including What's Eating Gilbert and International Superheroes of Hardcore . New Found Glory, meanwhile, achieved one of its greatest successes with the album Sticks and Stones, released in 2002.
'Months before his death, Gilbert had spoken about his family and professional life in an interview. "I lived my dream thanks to my family and to having been able to do so many creative things," he said, referring to his wife, his daughter, and the chance to have devoted his life to music. '
