Andy Williams from Every Time I Die Dies

Andy Williams from Every Time I Die Dies. Collapsed After Wrestling Match

07.09.2026 20:56 HotInfo 6

Andy Williams, founding guitarist of the American metalcore band Every Time I Die, died on Saturday, September 5th at the age of 48. He collapsed immediately after a tag team match at an Enjoy Wrestling event in Millvale, Pennsylvania, where he performed under the ring name The Butcher. According to the organizers, doctors attempted to resuscitate him on the spot until the ambulance arrived, but Williams died in the hospital later that evening. The Allegheny County coroner's office confirmed his death, but has not yet disclosed the cause. Rolling Stone Deutschland ↗

Spanish outlet Mondo Sonoro, citing witnesses, described the sequence of events in more detail: Williams was wrestling with his long-time partner Jesse "The Blade" Guilmette, with whom he formed the team The Butcher & The Blade, when he dropped to his knees in the ring, complained of dizziness and subsequently collapsed. Earlier that afternoon, before the match, he had still managed to conduct a wrestling training session for amateurs. Mondo Sonoro ↗

Every Time I Die was founded by Williams in 1998 in Buffalo, New York and he remained with the band until its dissolution in 2022, when the rest of the lineup parted ways acrimoniously with vocalist Keith Buckley. He performed on all nine studio albums of the band, including the last one, "Radical" from 2021. His nearly quarter-century tenure made him one of the constants of the American metalcore scene at the turn of the millennium — the band became renowned for its blend of Southern rock, hardcore and Buckley's literary lyrics in songs such as "Rendez-Voodoo" and "Cities And Years". Visions ↗

He began wrestling during his time with the band. In the 2010s, he trained and competed on independent circuits; in 2019 he debuted in All Elite Wrestling as The Butcher and became known in the USA beyond just the music audience. "All Elite Wrestling is deeply saddened by the passing of Andy Williams, aka The Butcher," AEW wrote in a Sunday statement. "The Every Time I Die and Atomic Rule musician successfully transitioned from music to professional wrestling. He was greatly respected by colleagues both in and out of the ring." Rolling Stone Italia ↗

After Every Time I Die disbanded, Williams focused on wrestling, but returned to music with a new band called Atomic Rule, with which he released his first songs last year and promised more material. Shortly before the fateful match, he spoke about how much he looked forward to sharing them with fans. Visions ↗

Note on name confusion: there was also an American singer named Andy Williams, performer of "Moon River" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", who died in 2012. He shares nothing with the Every Time I Die guitarist except the name.

Illustrative photo: Andy Williams (left) as The Butcher with his partner Jesse "The Blade" Guilmette in the ring, 2019. Photo: grenwail / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0