India, Sept. 21 -- LOS ANGELES - Chad Gilbert, the visionary founding guitarist, songwriter, and creative heartbeat of the influential pop-punk band New Found Glory, has died at the age of 45. His family and bandmates confirmed that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday morning, surrounded by loved ones, following a resilient multi-year battle with rare forms of cancer.

His death marks a profound loss for the alternative rock community, where his melodic guitar riffs and anthemic songwriting helped define an entire generation of music.

The musician's health battles began publicly in late 2021 when he was diagnosed with a malignant pheochromocytoma, a rare tumour affecting the adrenal glands, discovered after a medical emergen...