Andy "The Butcher" Williams, who managed to live out two big-stage careers in one lifetime, has died at 48. The All Elite Wrestling performer and longtime guitarist for hardcore band Every Time I Die collapsed at the end of a tag-team match Saturday night at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale, Pennsylvania, officials and organizers said. Medical staff at the venue performed CPR before he was taken to a hospital. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner says he was pronounced dead at 9:43pm local time, about an hour after the incident, People reports.
TMZ reports dispatch audio indicated Williams struck his head on a ring post, though police have not publicly commented. Musicians and wrestlers flooded social media with remembrances of a gentle presence beneath the tattoos and ring persona. Williams, who grew up in Buffalo, was a founding member of Every Time I Die and played with the group from 1998 until they broke up in 2022. His new band, Atomic Rule, released its first EP last year. In a video posted on Instagram hours before his death, Williams said the band had written new music and would be touring with Gwar later this year, NBC News reports.
- Williams told the Hardlore podcast last year that he loved pro wrestling when he was a kid, but the idea of becoming a wrestler himself didn't take shape until 2014. He had his first full match the following year, at age 37. "Anyone who's written a song can wrestle a wrestling match," he told the podcast. "It's very similar to like—putting a song together is just like putting a wrestling match together. There's ups and downs, there's peaks and valleys."
- "A trailblazing musician with ETID and Atomic Rule, Williams made a successful transition into the world of professional wrestling and was incredibly respected by his peers both in and out of the ring," All Elite Wrestling wrote in a tribute post. "Our condolences go out to Williams' family, friends and fans."
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