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Remembering

CHAD GILBERT

September 22nd, 2026 by Kevin Gomez

The very first story I every published for OC Music News was a concert review for New Found Glory with Less Than Jake, Hot Mulligan, and LØLØ at the House of Blues Anaheim on September 8th, 2021.

It is with great sadness that just over five years later I’m now writing a tribute to New Found Glory founding guitarist and lead songwriter, Chad Gilbert. Chad was incredibly lucky and lived an amazing life – as longtime friend and bandmate, bassist Ian Grushka wrote in a tribute, “[we made] our dreams become a reality together.” And yet, you can’t help but feel saddened at such a tremendous loss.

Chad Everett Gilbert was born March 9th, 1981 in Coral Springs, FL. In 1996 he got the call to step up and take on lead vocals for the metalcore-hardcore band Shai Hulud. Already an established band in the Southeast Florida region with a large fanbase, Gilbert proved he was more than ready to take the reins often cited as many fans’ favorite era of the band. No stranger to hardcore music, Gilbert grew up listening to bands like Sick of It All (sadly, lead singer Lou Koller passed away this past July) and Madball.

In 1997, lead singer Jordan Pundik and Grushka invited Gilbert to play guitar for their new band, A New Found Glory (which would later get shortened to just New Found Glory). You might think the leap from metalcore to pop punk would be tremendous, but Gilbert once listed both Rancid’s “Let’s Go” and Green Day’s “Dookie” as part of the 10 albums that changed his life.

As lead guitarist for New Found Glory, Gilbert found he had a gift for crafting catchy riffs and melodic hooks. While their first effort, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” would start attracting a larger fanbase in their hometown, it was their follow-up, self-titled album that really put them on the map with the help of the radio hit, “Hit or Miss.”

That iconic guitar riff became synonymous with ‘90s pop punk. But it was their follow-up album, “Sticks and Stones,” that would make them MTV and “Total Request Live” superstars. Their video for “My Friends Over You” is just as big a part of the late ‘90s as “All the Small Things” or “Fat Lip.”

For nearly three decades Gilbert and New Found Glory continued to put out successful albums while touring around the world playing sold out shows and festivals like the Vans Warped Tour and Riot Fest. In October 2020, Gilbert married the love of his life, Lisa Cimorelli (a singer in the band, Cimorelli). Their daughter Lily was born in 2021, the light of Chad’s life.

With his career and personal life at an all-time high, his health began to take a turn for the worse. Gilbert made a social media post detailing that on December 19th, 2021, he was found unresponsive at home and credits his wife for saving his life by calling paramedics who rushed him to the hospital. He underwent emergency surgery in the ICU to remove a rare cancerous tumor called a pheochromocytoma.

On August 15th, 2022, he reported that he had been diagnosed with cancer again and would undergo surgery the next day after another pheochromocytoma tumor was discovered in his spine. He announced on February 11th, 2023, that he would begin intense chemotherapy after additional pheochromocytomas were found in his lungs and back. During these times he began to tour less and less with New Found Glory, at first with Yellowcard lead singer Ryan Key filling on guitar, and most recently Four Year Strong singer Dan O’Connor.

Through it all Gilbert would continue to post on social media, often looking weakened and gaunt from treatment, and yet always optimistic, laughing, and just enjoying life and staying positive.

When he would play again with the band, he made it a point to tell everyone how grateful he was despite his health troubles. While on tour in 2023 he told audience members, “Give yourself a break and try to just live every day and enjoy it.” Even in his sickness, he wanted to spread positivity and help others.

Tragically, Chad passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, September 20th while surrounded by friends and family. He is survived by his wife and daughter, his mother, Jackie, and his brother, Brian. The impact Chad and New Found Glory had on an entire generation of pop punk kids is evident from just bands like All Time Low and The Story So Far, both named after NFG songs.

From the song, “Sonny” about Pundik’s grandfather who passed away:

For now, we’ll say goodbye

We know it’s not the last time

I’ve lost the best part of my day

But it’s better where you’re going anyway

TO FOLLOW

SID 260924 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR