New Found Glory co-founder Chad Gilbert dies aged 45 THREE MONTHS after tearful return to stage following brain surgery

From the Newshound archive · first published 20 September 2026 · last updated 21 September 2026.

Chad Gilbert, co-founder and lead guitarist of New Found Glory, died peacefully in his sleep on 20 September, just three months after an emotional return to the stage following emergency surgery to remove three brain tumours. His wife, Lisa Cimorelli, 33, and bandmates Jordan Pundik, Ian Grushka and Cyrus Bolooki announced his death on Instagram, saying they were 'devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us'. Gilbert had been battling adrenal gland cancer — an uncommon condition that advanced to stage 4 adrenocortical carcinoma — since 2021, eventually spreading to his spine, lungs and back. He is survived by Lisa, their five-year-old daughter Lily, his mother Jackie and his brother Brian.

First diagnosed with adrenal gland cancer in 2021, Gilbert's condition deteriorated to the point where, by February, he required emergency brain surgery to remove three tumours.

Months before his death, he said: 'My biggest dream was to be married to a beautiful wife that would love me and have a daughter — I accomplished my dream.'

Tributes poured in hailing him as a 'pioneer in pop punk' who helped shape New Found Glory across more than a dozen albums and nearly three decades.