Hayley Williams has remembered Chad Gilbert, the founding member and lead guitarist of New Found Glory who died Sunday after a battle with brain cancer. Williams posted a statement on Instagram that speaks warmly of Gilbert’s influence on hardcore music and the people he introduced her to.
What Williams Said About Gilbert
Williams began her statement with uncertainty about whether she should speak at all. “Have not known what to say or if it’s appropriate,” she wrote. She then found a reason to proceed. “But I feel sure now that I want to [because] life is made of the paths we cross and the reasons we cross them are infinite.”
She framed her relationship with Gilbert as formative for her career and her worldview. “Chad is indeed a legend in the scene and my time connected to him taught me a lot,” she said. “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.”
Williams also addressed Gilbert’s broader impact on the genre. “There isn’t much that hasn’t already been said about what he contributed to the musical world a lot of us grew up in,” she wrote. “His influence and attitude guided the genre forward. His passion for fostering the community was inspiring and sticks with me.”
She closed with a direct message to Gilbert’s loved ones. “I will forever be grateful that from him I gained a deeper understanding and a reverence for the community and the culture of hardcore,” she said. “Sending love and my sympathies to his family, NFG fam, and all his friends.”
The History of Their Marriage
Gilbert and Williams dated from 2007 until 2017. They married in February 2016, but the union did not last. In July 2017, they announced they were separating in a shared statement on Instagram.
“We’ve grown up together and we’ve been beside each other through a lot of goodness and a lot of challenges,” the pair wrote at the time.
What the Divorce Lyrics Reveal
The full picture of why the couple split emerged in 2020, when Williams released her first solo album, Petals for Armor. On “Dead Horse,” she sang, “I got what I deserved / I was the other woman first.”
Williams has since reflected on that lyric in interviews. “I needed to get some of that shit out; a splinter of shame needed to get pulled,” she told NME that same year.
The song and the interview together suggest a complicated personal history.
Reading Between the Lines
Williams’ statement is notable for what it chooses to include and what it leaves out. She praises Gilbert’s influence on hardcore music and his dedication to the scene’s community, but she does not mention the divorce or the lyrics that explained it.
Her focus on the paths they crossed and the people he introduced her to keeps the memory positive.
What the Statement Means
The statement is a public tribute from a former spouse turned friend. It acknowledges Gilbert’s legacy without repeating the details of the split.
- Williams describes Gilbert as a legend in the hardcore scene
- She credits him with introducing her to people who continue to shape her life
- She notes his influence and attitude guided the genre forward
- She thanks him for deepening her understanding of hardcore culture
- She sends love to his family, bandmates and friends
Each bullet points back to the same theme: Gilbert’s role as a connector, a mentor and a force within the scene. Williams frames her own life as better for having crossed paths with him.
The statement is respectful, warm and restrained. It honors Gilbert without reopening old wounds, and it offers comfort to those who knew him best.
Source material: “Hayley Williams Remembers Chad Gilbert’s ‘Influence and Attitude’ on Hardcore Music: ‘Forever Grateful’,” Rolling Stone.
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