In a Sept. 23 tribute, Hayley Williams called ex-husband Chad Gilbert a “legend in the scene,” saying the New Found Glory guitarist, who died Sept. 20 at 45 after a years-long cancer journey, deepened her appreciation for hardcore culture.
The pair began dating in 2008, became engaged on Christmas 2014 and married in February 2016. They announced their split in 2017, and it was finalized later that year.
Gilbert’s wife, Lisa Cimorelli, and New Found Glory bandmates announced his death, saying he died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by friends and family, with his wife and mother at his side. He had been receiving cancer treatment since 2021 and returned to the stage three months before his death after emergency brain cancer surgery.
