Chad Gilbert, the founding guitarist of New Found Glory, has died at 45.
The band announced his death Sunday, saying he "passed away peacefully in his sleep" on the morning of September 20. "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," they wrote. The band did not state a cause.
Gilbert helped start New Found Glory in Florida in the 1990s and was the band's lead guitarist and chief songwriter across every album, including 2000's self-titled record and "Sticks and Stones." He also fronted hardcore band Shai Hulud, recorded as What's Eating Gilbert, and produced A Day To Remember's "Homesick" and "Common Courtesy" and H2O's "Nothing to Prove."
He had been fighting a rare adrenal cancer since 2021. In February he lost control of his left side onstage at the band's album release show in Nashville, and had surgery weeks later to remove a brain tumor. He returned to the stage in June. He was 45.