Hayley Williams Breaks Silence: 'Chad Was a Legend in the Scene'

Paramore's Hayley Williams posted on Instagram Stories four days after her ex-husband Chad Gilbert died ... because she said she wasn't sure it was appropriate for her to speak. "Have not known if it's appropriate" was the phrase she used, per Loudwire.

"Life is made of the paths we cross and the reasons we cross them are infinite," Williams wrote. "Chad is indeed a legend in the scene and my time connected to him taught me a lot." She ended with: "I will forever be grateful that from him I gained a deeper understanding and a reverence for the community and the culture of hardcore."

Gilbert, co-founding guitarist of New Found Glory, died on September 20, 2026, at age 45. His wife Lisa Cimorelli and the band confirmed he passed "peacefully in his sleep," surrounded by family, per NBC News. Gilbert had been battling Stage 4 adrenocortical carcinoma since 2021.

Williams and Gilbert were together from 2008, married in 2015, and separated in 2017. Their joint separation statement described marriage as "not for the faint of heart." The age gap when they met and the circumstances of the relationship were both subjects of public discussion at the time. The full relationship history, including her accounts of the aftermath, was reported by Yahoo Entertainment.

Gilbert's death landed across a generation of pop-punk. Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 called him "little brother" in a tribute published by Rolling Stone. Dashboard Confessional, Good Charlotte, Taking Back Sunday, the Offspring, and the Ataris also posted public tributes.

Williams could have said nothing. A divorced ex-partner has no public obligation, and silence is easy to defend. That she chose to speak, framed it as gratitude, and named his influence on the hardcore scene rather than their shared history, says something intentional. The statement makes room for grief without making it about her.

New Found Glory and Cimorelli said Gilbert "left this world surrounded by friends and family" and described the band as "devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us, yet so grateful for how peacefully and smoothly he went." The band's final album, "Listen Up!," was released in February 2026. No public memorial has been announced.

Gilbert is survived by his wife Lisa, daughter Lily, mother Jackie, and brother Brian. Watch whether the rock scene organizes a tribute show in the months ahead.

Ad Watch News is an independent commentary site with no affiliation to Hayley Williams, Chad Gilbert, New Found Glory, or any party named here. This is commentary drawn from the sources linked and listed below.

Hayley Williams Breaks Silence: 'Chad Was a Legend in the Scene'

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