The musician and Gilbert were in a relationship from 2007 to 2017<\/p>\n
\n\tHayley Williams<\/a> has shared a statement about ex-husband Chad Gilbert<\/a>, following the New Found Glory<\/a> founding member and lead guitarist\u2019s death<\/a> on Sunday from brain cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHave not known what to say or if it\u2019s appropriate. 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,\u201d Williams began in an Instagram story<\/a>. \u201cChad 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,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \n\tWilliams continued: \u201cThere isn\u2019t much that hasn\u2019t already been said about what he contributed to the musical world a lot of us grew up in. His influence and attitude guided the genre forward. His passion for fostering the community was inspiring and sticks with me. I will forever be grateful that from him I gained a deeper understanding and a reverence for the community and the culture of hardcore. Sending love and my sympathies to his family, NFG fam, and all his friends.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n \n\tGilbert and Williams were together from 2007 until 2017. The pair got married in February 2016, but announced that they were separating a little over a year later in July 2017. \u201cWe\u2019ve grown up together and we\u2019ve been beside each other through a lot of goodness and a lot of challenges,\u201d the pair wrote at the time in a shared statement on Instagram.<\/p>\n \n\tIn 2020, with the release of Williams\u2019 first solo debut album Petals for Armor, the reason behind her divorce from Gilbert became clearer. On \u201cDead Horse,\u201d the musician sings, \u201cI got what I deserved \/ I was the other woman first.\u201d Williams has reflected on that lyric in particular since releasing the song and album. \u201cI needed to get some of that shit out; a splinter of shame needed to get pulled,\u201d she told NME<\/a> that same year.<\/p>\n \t