Beloved rock musician dead at 45 after cancer battle: ‘We are devastated and shocked’

Chad Gilbert, the beloved rock musician and founding member of the band New Found Glory, died on Sunday.Gilbert, 45, had been bravely battling cancer. His wife, Lisa Cimorelli, shared the news of his passing.“On the morning of September 20th, Chad Eerett Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep,” Cimorelli wrote on Instagram. “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. The amount of visitors that crowded the hospital lobby at a moment’s notice is 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, humor and relentless drive helped shape New Found Glory for nearly three decades,” the statement continued. “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. “Rest in peace, Chad. We love you forever Lisa, Jordan, Ian, Cyrus and Dan.”The update came just weeks after Gilbert shared a graphic update from a hospital. “Warning: last photos if what 1.5 liters of fluid looks like,” he wrote on Instagram. “Don’t swipe if you’re squeamish. Been off the grid for a little bit. I was crushing it and gaining weight. Then suddenly I couldn’t sleep and felt like I couldn’t breathe. So I went to the ER and discovered I had 4.5 liters of fluid in my lungs. So lucky I went in. I stayed for 5 days and they put a needle in between my ribs to drain all the fluid. Not a good time. Now I’m back to the beginning building my strength. But thankful for the nurses and doctors that found it. “Definitely kicked my butt,” he added. “Hoping to feel like myself again soon.”Gilbert appeared to be sitting on a table in a hospital or rehab facility in the first photo, along with his post. The last photo was indeed graphic, showing a container full of dark brown fluid. Gilbert revealed earlier this year in an interview with Rolling Stone that he had surgery to remove three brain tumors. He said he struggled through a show in February after the band released its 12th album, “Listen Up!” “The show was amazing, but something wasn’t right,” Gilbert told Rolling Stone. “That night I came home and I was walking up the steps, I fell forward onto the ground,” he said. Gilbert said a brain and spine radiologist told his doctor to get him to an emergency room “right now.”“The next morning they had found three new tumors,” his wife, Lisa Cimorelli, told Rolling Stone. “One of them was the size of a walnut and was pressing on the back right side of his brain, which was causing the loss of movement on the left side.”Gilbert told the outlet, “I feel very, very lucky that I could sit here and do this interview.”He said that doctors removed one of the three tumors, and he underwent 10 rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the other two. Rolling Stone reported that Gilbert said the plan was to attack the other two tumors with immunotherapy. “It felt good to know that there’s still a battle to be going on and that I can recover from this and grow stronger from this,” Gilbert said. “My hope is to really get my energy and strength back. I don’t want to lay in bed all day. I want to be able to get up and do my thing.”The interview shed more light on Gilbert’s ordeal after he updated fans on social media back in February. “On February 20th, I played a show in Nashville and was struggling to control the movements of my left hand,” Gilbert wrote on Instagram along with a photo of him in a hospital bed. “My left leg was getting weaker by the day and I started stumbling and falling at times. On the 23rd I was taken to the ER where a CT scan showed 3 new tumors had appeared on my brain. On 2/27 I had successful brain surgery and have been recovering in the hospital since. “I regained function of my left hand immediately,” Gilbert continued. “My radiation oncologist described it likes this: ‘this is not a fatal blow and not the end of your story, just the beginning of a new chapter.’ My recovery has been bumpy at times but I’m feeling much better now and getting strong by the day. Thankful to everyone who’s checked in on me and helped my family during this lengthy and challenging journey.”Gilbert was diagnosed with metastatic pheochromocytoma, a rare cancer of the adrenal gland, in 2021. He announced in August 2025 that he was resuming treatments to battle the cancer. “From rock to radiation — it’s scary, it sucks, and I wish it weren’t a part of my life,” he wrote. “But truthfully, through the hardships come new outlooks, gratitude, positivity, and a freeing new way to see life. I’m thankful that I’m still in the fight and look forward to putting this enemy to rest for good.“I encourage everyone going through emotional struggles to find joy in the simple things and the fun moments you might not have experienced without your struggle,” he continued. “We learn from it all. Give yourself a break. Thank you for all the support and love you send my way. Most people aren’t lucky enough to have fans who reach out with kind messages. I might not reply to them all, but I don’t take any of them for granted. I hope your day is awesome!”Gilbert said he was resuming the treatment after doctors found “a small spot in my back,” according to People Magazine. The outlet said at the time the cancer had spread to Gilbert’s spine and lungs.