Three days after the announcement that New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert had died at the age of 45 after a brain cancer battle, Hayley Williams shared a statement addressing the loss of her ex-husband.
In a typed message posted to her Instagram Story on Wednesday (Sept. 23), the Paramore frontwoman began by saying, “Have not known what to say or if it’s appropriate.”
“But I feel sure now that I want to bc life is made of the paths we cross and the reasons we cross them are infinite,” she continued. “Chad is indeed a legend in the scene and my time connected to him taught me a lot. He introduced me to people that continue to shape my life in beautiful ways, and to music and culture that has made life a lot richer.”
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Williams went on to praise Gilbert for “what he contributed to the musical world a lot of us grew up in,” adding that the rocker’s “influence and attitude guided the genre forward.”
“His passion for fostering the community was inspiring and sticks with me,” she added. “I will forever be grateful that from him I gained a deeper understanding and a reverence for the community and the culture of hardcore.”
The singer concluded by sending love to Gilbert’s “family, NFG fam, and all his friends.”
After dating since 2008, Williams married the rocker in 2016. The following year, they announced their separation, stating at the time that they remained “close friends who are good in each other’s eyes.”
Gilbert later married Lisa Cimorelli, who broke the news on Sunday (Sept. 20) of her husband’s death alongside his New Found Glory bandmates on social media. “On the morning of September 20th, Chad Everett Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep,” they wrote in a joint statement. “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.”
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The announcement also noted that Gilbert — who shared daughter Lily with Cimorelli — considered being a father his greatest accomplishment. “His biggest dreams came true,” it added.
