Chad Gilbert, a founding member and guitarist for New Found Glory, has died. He was 45.

Gilbert’s death was announced on social media Sunday (Sept. 20) by the pop-punk band and his wife, Lisa Cimorelli, six months after the musician revealed that he was battling cancer.

“On the morning of September 20th, Chad Everett Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep,” the band wrote. “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.”

The Florida group continued, “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 a 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.”

The message was signed by New Found Glory members Jordan Pundik, Ian Grushka, Cyrus Bolooki, and touring guitarist Dan O’Connor, along with Gilbert’s wife, Cimorelli.

Gilbert had been open with fans about his health struggles in recent years. In late March, he shared a series of photos from his hospital bed while updating fans on his recovery from brain cancer surgery. The emergency procedure came after he struggled to control movement in his left hand during a show in Nashville earlier that year.

The surgery followed another major health scare several years earlier. In December 2021, Cimorelli described finding her husband “unresponsive” in their bed, initially believing he was sick or simply sleeping late. After being rushed to the hospital, Gilbert was diagnosed with a “rare tumor called a pheochromocytoma,” which grows on the adrenal gland and secretes hormones that drive your blood pressure up while eating away at your blood sugar.

Gilbert later revealed that the cancer had spread to his spine and lungs. In August 2025, he told fans he was undergoing additional treatment after doctors discovered a “small spot” on his back.

His death comes as New Found Glory marks nearly three decades together. The band released its 11th studio album, Listen Up!, in February. Following the album’s release, the group hit the road for an extensive run of shows.

New Found Glory formed in 1997 in Coral Springs, Florida, with vocalist Pundik, Gilbert on guitar, bassist Grushka and drummer Bolooki.

Reflecting on Gilbert’s contribution to the band, New Found Glory wrote Sunday, “Chad’s guitar playing, songwriting, humor, and relentless drive helped shape New Found Glory for nearly three decades.”

The band added, “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.”

Following Gilbert’s death, members of the rock community took to social media to remember their friend and longtime peer.

Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, who has spoken publicly about his own battle with cancer, remembered Gilbert as a deeply positive presence. On Instagram, Hoppus called him “the best friend to every person he met” and “the most positive and creative force in any room he walked into.”

Hoppus also reflected on Gilbert’s battle with cancer, writing that he “fought his sickness with the soul of a joyous, courageous warrior.”

“These past years he fought his sickness with the soul of a joyous, courageous warrior. With dignity, love, and gratitude,” Hoppus wrote. “He never complained once, only kept saying how lucky he was. For everything. Today we lost a good one, and the world won’t be the same. Rest easy now, my friend. And thank you for just. Being. You’ll be sorely missed by more people than you could ever imagine. See you on the other side.”

The Offspring also shared a tribute on Instagram, writing, “Today, the world lost a legend. RIP Chad.”

Yellowcard’s William Ryan Key remembered Gilbert as a friend who supported him during a difficult period in his career. “Chad was the kind of friend most people don’t get to have in a lifetime,” Key wrote on Instagram. “I owe so much to him for encouraging me to keep going back in 2017 when Yellowcard broke up.”

Bayside’s Anthony Raneri also mourned Gilbert, recalling the energy and friendship he brought into their lives. “Today I say goodbye to one of my best friends. I don’t know what my life is going to look like without him. Without the energy and the fun that he brought to every room and every day,” Raneri wrote on Instagram.

Nicki Minaj is standing by her support for President Donald Trump.

On Friday (Sept. 18), the 43-year-old rapper appeared on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle to discuss the Trump administration’s Million Dollar Pitch Competition for small businesses.

As expected, the conversation — which also featured Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler — turned to Minaj’s relationship with Trump.

“I am honored to be able to have an opportunity to work with this administration and to work with President Trump. He has inspired many people, not just me. He’s fun,” Minaj said.

The “Super Bass” rapper continued, “He’s not just smart, and, you know, he’s not just the president. But he’s also someone that I can relate to, someone that, you know, every time I see him, or every time I see him speaking to other people, he’s just himself. He’s very grounded. It’s easy to connect with him. It’s easy to feel like he heard you, he understands you. I just love him. I’m not going to ever make excuses for that.”

Minaj’s comments came as she participated in the Trump administration’s Million Dollar Pitch Competition, which features five small-business finalists competing for a share of a $1 million prize pool. The SBA announced in August that Minaj would serve as one of the competition’s judges alongside entrepreneur and private equity fund manager Grant Cardone and Airbnb co-founder and U.S. Chief Design Officer Joe Gebbia. Actor Dean Cain is hosting the event.

The live finale took place in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, with the five finalists competing for five prizes totaling $1 million in growth capital funded by Clover Network.

When asked during the Fox News interview if she had anything to say to her critics over her decision to work with Trump, Minaj promptly responded, “Absolutely nothing,” adding, “I don’t know why I should.”

Minaj met with the president at the Trump Accounts Summit in January, where she praised Trump and called herself his “No. 1 fan.” Trump returned the praise during a presidential luncheon in July, when he singled out the rapper while addressing attendees.

“She’s a fantastic person and she’s a woman that’s respected by everybody,” the president said. “And she’s got real talent, Nicki Minaj. Nicki, stand up, please. Such a great person and respected by everybody.”

Ed Sheeran opened a solo concert Saturday (Sept. 19) with comments about Gaza after controversy swirled around his tour as supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opener Macklemore, who was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage.

Sheeran said he wants his music and shows to be about unity and humanity, not politics.

He also addressed “the question of where I stand in the situation in Israel and Palestine.”

“What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable, and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives, and the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked,” Sheeran said from the stage at Lincoln Financial Field.

“I am already speaking to people across the spectrum to work out how to make a contribution that helps victims of these terrible times, and listening and learning because I do not know enough,” he added.

Sheeran has performed much of his Loop Tour concerts solo, but he had been joined for several songs at each stop by the Irish folk band Beoga. Macklemore, Sheeran’s original U.S. opener, had been replaced by Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe before they backed out.

Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother and musical collaborator, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year before he too dropped out earlier this week.

Before the show, a small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators congregated outside the stadium. Hillary Steinberg, 34, of Philadelphia, said she got tickets a year ago but wound up getting a refund and attended the demonstration instead, disappointed that Sheeran did not take a stand.

“I was, until this week, a big Ed Sheeran fan,” Steinberg said. “I think all art is political, and all music is political, and so this choice — even though he was saying that he wasn’t complicit — is a political choice.”

The show came after a tumultuous week that opened with Macklemore being dropped in response to exclaiming “Free Palestine” during a Sept. 5 show in New Jersey. Sheeran has said he was not responsible for the decision, which came at the urging of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. His company owns a stadium where Sheeran’s tour was scheduled to play on Friday.

Within hours of Sheeran’s statement Tuesday, his supporting acts withdrew.

On Saturday, Diane Savitz, a 53-year-old concertgoer from Stroudsburg, said she is a big Sheeran fan, does not think he did anything wrong and a show is not the place for politics.

“A concert should be for people enjoying the music. Music should bring people together,” Savitz said. “Everyone has their right to freedom of speech, but not every platform is the place for it.”

Macklemore said Wednesday he is donating $1 million to support Palestinian relief efforts and called on Kraft to match the gift; a spokesperson for Kraft has said the billionaire and Sheeran have each agreed to donate $2 million but have not specified where the money will be directed. Sheeran’s representatives have not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Sheeran’s Loop Tour was the highest-grossing in the world, with an average box office gross of over $7 million per city, Pollstar said in May. Through the end of 2025, Sheeran was the No. 3 top-earning concert act since 2021.

Sheeran has said the tour promoter was ultimately responsible for the decision to drop Macklemore.

The Grammy winner was adamant in his Tuesday statement that he wouldn’t be drawn into discussion of the war in Gaza, arguing that his fans don’t come to his shows to hear about these issues.

He also said he “spoke with the venues at length all week to try to build a bridge” before Macklemore was dropped. He insisted he would never willingly let down his fans or abandon the touring crew and others who rely on him to make a living.

While promoters and venues wield great power over concert tours, experts say an artist of Sheeran’s magnitude generally has the final say about what happens concerning the shows.

Sheeran told the crowd in Philadelphia that everyone is welcome at his concerts, and they can have opposing points of view while still singing his songs, which are about “love, hope, and unity.”