Chad Gilbert, founding guitarist and backing vocalist of the Florida pop-punk band New Found Glory, died Sunday morning, Sept. 20, 2026, at age 45, the band and his wife Lisa Cimorelli said in a joint statement reported by Variety, Billboard, NME, NBC News, and Rolling Stone.

“On the morning of September 20th, Chad Everett Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep,” the statement said, according to those outlets. “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 message continued that they were “devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us, yet so grateful for how peacefully and smoothly he went,” and that “he was a legendary musician, but his favorite accomplishment was being a husband and father.”

Variety and NBC News noted that a cause of death was not separately disclosed in the announcement. Gilbert had spoken publicly for years about cancer treatment: a rare adrenal tumor (pheochromocytoma) diagnosed around late 2021, later spine and lung involvement, and — in early 2026 — brain tumors and a revised diagnosis of stage 4 adrenocortical carcinoma, as reported from his disclosures and interviews with People magazine by NBC News, NME, Billboard, and Rolling Stone.

New Found Glory formed in Coral Springs, Florida, in the late 1990s. Gilbert helped shape the band across more than a dozen albums, from early records through 2026’s Listen Up!, Billboard and NME reported. Bandmates Jordan Pundik, Ian Grushka, Cyrus Bolooki, and touring guitarist Dan O’Connor joined Cimorelli on the statement, writing that Gilbert’s “guitar playing, songwriting, humor, and relentless drive helped shape New Found Glory for nearly three decades” and that his influence “will always be part of New Found Glory.”

Gilbert is survived by his wife Lisa, daughter Lily, mother Jackie, and brother Brian, NME reported.

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