“The most positive and creative force in any room he walked into”: Pop-punk’s elite pay tribute to Chad Gilbert, founding New Found Glory guitarist who has died at 45
The news hit over the weekend that Chad Gilbert – founding guitarist of Florida pop-punk stalwarts New Found Glory, and former husband of Paramore’s Hayley Williams – had tragically died aged just 45.
Announcing Gilbert’s death on social media, his bandmates say they are “devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us”.
“On the morning of 20 September, Chad Everett Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep,” their post reads. “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. We are devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us, yet so grateful for how peacefully and smoothly he went.”
They go on: “The amount of visitors that crowded the hospital lobby at a moment’s notice is a testament to how beloved and cherished Chad was, and always will be. He was a legendary musician, but his favorite accomplishment was being a husband and father. His biggest dreams came true. He is survived by his wife, Lisa, his daughter, Lily, his mother, Jackie, and his brother, Brian.
“Chad’s guitar playing, songwriting, humour, and relentless drive helped shape New Found Glory for nearly three decades. Through more than a dozen albums, endless tours around the world, and more accolades than we ever could have imagined, Chad challenged all of us to grow as musicians, performers, and human beings.
“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.”
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Born in Coral Springs, Florida in 1981, Chad Gilbert founded New Found Glory in 1997 when he was just 16 years old – alongside frontman Jordan Pundik, rhythm guitarist Steve Klein, bassist Ian Grushka and drummer Joe Moreno. The wheels quickly got going, with the band releasing their debut EP It’s All About the Girls the same year, followed by their debut full-length Nothing Gold Can Stay two years later in 1999.
Gilbert’s infectiously upbeat pop-punk riffs appeared across all 11 of New Found Glory’s studio albums, with the band’s most recent release, Listen Up!, landing in February of this year. He also served as frontman of Florida metalcore/hardcore act Shai Halud on and off until 2013.
But the guitarist had a battle with ill health as far back as 2010, when he underwent thyroid surgery to remove “suspicious cells”. In 2021, Gilbert was found unresponsive in his home, and had to have emergency surgery to remove a rare cancerous tumour. He revealed the following year that he’d been diagnosed with cancer again, this time another tumour in his spine.
Earlier this year, Gilbert reportedly collapsed during the launch party for Listen Up!, and subsequently confirmed that he’d undergone emergency brain surgery following the discovery of three brain tumours. In April, the guitarist confirmed his cancer had changed from metastatic pheochromocytoma to stage 4 adrenocortical carcinoma.
Since the news of his passing was announced, tributes have been flooding in from across the music world.
Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus – who has collaborated with New Found Glory on numerous occasions, and who himself battled cancer in recent years – calls Gilbert the “best friend to every person he met”.
“The most positive and creative force in any room he walked into,” Hoppus writes. “These past years he fought his sickness with the soul of a joyous, courageous warrior. With dignity, love, and gratitude. He never complained once, only kept saying how lucky he was. For everything. Today we lost a good one, and the world won’t be the same. Rest easy now, my friend. And thank you for just being. You’ll be sorely missed by more people than you could ever imagine. See you on the other side.”
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Responding to New Found Glory’s post sharing the news of Gilbert’s death, fellow pop-punkers Simple Plan write: “Sending our deepest condolences to all his friends and family.” Dashboard Confessional add: “I’ve never seen anyone carry themselves through something like this with such positivity and strength. What an example to us all.” My Chemical Romance’s Mikey Way, A Day to Remember’s Jeremy McKinnon and Neck Deep’s Ben Barlow also shared their admiration for the late guitarist.
Meanwhile, singer-songwriter LØLØ – who got a big career break when Gilbert found her on a Spotify playlist and invited her to open for New Found Glory – says she is “devastated” by the news of his passing.
“I almost didn’t do it, because I was scared,” she writes. “But Chad convinced me that it would be amazing (and it was, he was right). That’s just who Chad was… He had this incredible way of making you believe in yourself. He hyped up everyone around him, and even in the darkest moments, he somehow found a way to bring a little light in and make things feel less scary.”
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Ryan Key – frontman of fellow Florida pop-punk legends Yellowcard – calls Chad Gilbert “the kind of friend most people don’t get to have in a lifetime”.
“I owe so much to him for encouraging me to keep going back in 2017 when Yellowcard broke up. The bear hugs I got every time I walked in his door will be around me forever. He brought me into the New Found Glory family at a time when I needed my friends so badly. I looked to Chad as an example of how to stay positive in the most difficult times. I watched him fight his illness in awe of his strength and desire for life.”
He continues: “I was able to get to Nashville yesterday to see him before he passed. I stopped at the card shop in Franklin TN where we would always go to get Magic cards and comics. I chose this card (last slide) to put in his hand because it has two special abilities. The first is that other cards can help to play this card. Chad’s friends and family walked through this unimaginable pain with him every step of the way. But once the card is played, it protects the other cards in the game from damage. I know that Chad will always be with us. Always protecting us. Always reminding us how hard a human being can love.”
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