Chad Gilbert Said 'I Feel Very, Very Lucky' Months Before New Found Glory Guitarist Died at 45

Chad Gilbert spent his final months insisting he felt 'very, very lucky', even as doctors warned he might never tour normally again, before New Found Glory confirmed on Sunday that the founding guitarist had died in his sleep at the age of 45.

His death prompted immediate tributes from across pop‑punk, including Blink‑182's Mark Hoppus, who called him 'the most positive and creative force in any room he walked into'.

Gilbert was first diagnosed with metastatic pheochromocytoma, a rare adrenal cancer, in 2021, and continued treatment through a spinal tumour in 2022 and a new spot found on his back in 2025. It was only earlier this year that doctors discovered three tumours in his brain, turning a private, years‑long fight into a very public one.

The Warning Signs on Stage

Gilbert's decline became impossible to hide in February, when he lost movement down the left side of his body during an album release show. Doctors later found three tumours in his brain, including one pressing on the area affecting movement on his left side, Rolling Stone reported.

He underwent emergency surgery and ten rounds of radiation, followed by a month in hospital as he recovered. His treatment plan also included immunotherapies that doctors hoped could penetrate the blood‑brain barrier and help control the cancer in his brain, according to Rolling Stone.

Why 'I Feel Very, Very Lucky' Struck a Nerve

Speaking to Rolling Stone in April, Gilbert said he felt 'very, very lucky' to be well enough to give the interview at all. He was equally candid about the emotional toll, admitting, 'I have my crying moments where, like everyone, I have to let it out,' while insisting he wanted to 'recover from this and grow stronger'.

That same tone ran through Hoppus's tribute, who described Gilbert as fighting his illness 'with the soul of a joyous, courageous warrior'. Hoppus, who battled lymphoma himself in 2021, added: 'You'll be sorely missed by more people than you could ever imagine. See you on the other side.'

By June, Gilbert had hoped to return to the stage, but at the band's Vans Warped Tour stop in Washington, D.C., his bandmates instead asked the crowd to 'Give it up for Chad!' as he was unable to perform. It marked the gap between his public defiance and the private reality of an illness that was still progressing.

New Found Glory's Tribute and Final Goodbye

In its statement, New Found Glory said Gilbert died 'peacefully in his sleep' on 20 September, with his wife and mother beside him 'just as he wished'. The family and bandmates said the number of visitors who crowded the hospital lobby at a moment's notice showed how deeply he was cherished.

They added that Gilbert considered being 'a husband and father' his favourite accomplishment, despite decades of influence on pop‑punk. He is survived by his wife, Lisa Cimorelli, and their daughter, Lily.

Gilbert co‑founded New Found Glory in Florida in 1997 as a teenager, and became one of the band's principal songwriters, contributing to many of its best‑known songs.

His bandmates said he 'challenged all of us to grow as musicians, performers and human beings', adding that his spirit would remain 'felt on every stage we stand on, with every note we play'.