Andy Williams, the former Every Time I Die guitarist who also wrestled professionally as “The Butcher,” died at the age of 48 after collapsing at a wrestling event in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.
Williams had just competed in a tag-team match with his wrestling partner Jesse “The Blade” Guilmette at an Enjoy Wrestling event at Mr. Small’s Theater in Millvale, Pennsylvania, and collapsed as soon as it was over. He was given CPR at the venue and rushed to a local hospital, where he passed away.
TMZ confirmed Williams death via the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Williams and Guilmette competed as “The Butcher and The Blade” as part of the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) roster for seven years until their contract wasn’t renewed this past June. They had been wrestling independently since then.
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Along with his career as a professional wrestler, Williams was a founding member of the acclaimed metalcore band Every Time I Die, remaining with them from their formation in 1998 through their breakup in 2022.
He appeared on all nine of the band’s studio albums, including their final LP, 2021’s Radical, which landed on Consequence‘s list of the 30 Best Metal & Hard Rock Albums of that year.
When news broke of Williams being rushed to the hospital, former Every Time I Die guitarist Jordan Buckley wrote on X/Twitter, “If you’re a prayer (the praying type), please pray for Andy tonight.”
Three former members of Every Time I Die, including Jordan Buckley, went on to form the band Better Lovers, while Williams had formed the new band Atomic Rule.
Our condolences go out to Andy Williams’ family, friends, and bandmates during this difficult time. Watch him performing “Map Change” with Every Time I Die in 2017 below.