Chad Gilbert

Chad Everett Gilbert was a force of nature — a guitarist, songwriter, and human being whose warmth could light up any room he walked into. Born on March 9, 1981, in Coral Springs, Florida, Chad found his calling early, picking up the guitar as a teenager and channeling every ounce of his passion into music. At just 16, he co-founded New Found Glory alongside Jordan Pundik, Ian Grushka, Steve Klein, and Joe Moreno, setting in motion a career that would help define a generation of pop-punk. When the band signed to Drive-Thru Records in 1997, Chad made the bold decision to leave J.P. Taravella High School after his junior year and commit fully to the music. It was the kind of all-in bet that would pay off for decades. Over nearly thirty years, he served as the band's primary songwriter, penning landmark tracks including "My Friends Over You" and "Head on Collision." Albums like Sticks and Stones (2002) and Catalyst (2004) reached the top 10 of the Billboard 200, cementing New Found Glory's place alongside Blink-182 and Green Day as architects of the pop-punk sound. In all, Chad played on every one of the band's eleven studio albums, from their 1999 debut Nothing Gold Can Stay through their final 2026 release Listen Up! Beyond New Found Glory, Chad lent his voice to hardcore outfit Shai Hulud, fronted the tongue-in-cheek International Superheroes of Hardcore, and explored a more intimate side of himself as a solo artist under the name What's Eating Gilbert. He also produced records for A Day to Remember and H2O, and quietly championed emerging talent — discovering and mentoring singer-songwriter LØLØ, whose career he helped launch. Chad lived a straight-edge lifestyle and was known everywhere for his bear hugs, his relentless positivity, and his gift for making whoever he was talking to feel like the most important person in the world. He collected Magic: The Gathering cards and comic books with close friends in Franklin, Tennessee, and spent quiet evenings discovering new artists on Spotify. In 2021, Chad was diagnosed with metastatic pheochromocytoma, a rare adrenal cancer that would later progress to stage 4 adrenocortical carcinoma. He faced his illness the same way he faced everything — with humor, courage, and an unshakeable belief that there was still music to be made. He continued writing songs from his hospital bed, melodies always running through his mind. Chad is survived by his wife, Lisa Cimorelli, and their daughter Lily, born July 17, 2021 — the dream he always said mattered most. He passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 20, 2026, at his Nashville home, surrounded by the people he loved. The music he made, and the way he made people feel, will never go quiet.