Andy Williams, Every Time I Die Guitarist and Wrestler, Dies at 48

Andy Williams, the founding guitarist of metalcore band Every Time I Die who later built a second career in professional wrestling as “The Butcher,” has died at 48. His death was announced after he experienced a medical emergency following a tag-team match in Millvale, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night.

Enjoy Wrestling said its medical staff immediately treated Williams and performed CPR until an ambulance arrived. He was taken to a hospital but did not survive. The promoter canceled the remainder of its Five Years event, where Williams had competed alongside longtime partner Jesse “The Blade” Guilmette. A specific cause of death had not been released as of Sunday.

Andy Williams bridged metalcore and professional wrestling

Williams co-founded Every Time I Die in Buffalo, New York, in 1998 and played rhythm guitar across all nine of the group’s studio albums. The band became a durable presence in heavy music before breaking up in 2022, one year after releasing its final album, Radical.

He began wrestling on the independent circuit in the mid-2010s, making the unusual transition while still touring as a musician. Williams joined All Elite Wrestling in 2019 and became widely recognized as The Butcher, frequently teaming with Guilmette. Their AEW contracts expired in June 2026, after which they returned to independent events.

AEW remembered Williams as a trailblazer who successfully crossed from music into wrestling and earned deep respect from colleagues in both worlds. The company extended condolences to his family, friends and fans.

New music had been underway

After Every Time I Die ended, Williams continued writing and performing with Atomic Rule. The band had been preparing for a West Coast run with GWAR in November, and Williams shared an upbeat studio update only hours before the match.

That final update underscored how active both sides of his career remained. Williams leaves a catalog that traces nearly a quarter-century of metalcore, along with a wrestling run that turned an established touring guitarist into a recognizable in-ring personality. Details about memorial plans had not been announced.