Andy Williams, the founding rhythm guitarist of Buffalo metalcore band Every Time I Die and a professional wrestler known as The Butcher, has died. He was 48.
Williams collapsed Saturday night, September 5, near the end of a tag-team match at Enjoy Wrestling’s five-year anniversary show at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh. On-site medical staff administered CPR and used a defibrillator before he was transported by ambulance. The remainder of the event was canceled. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed his death to TMZ. An autopsy is expected after the Labor Day holiday to determine the cause.
Born Andrew J. Williams on December 12, 1977, in the Buffalo area, he co-founded Every Time I Die in 1998 with brothers Keith and Jordan Buckley. Williams remained the band’s rhythm guitarist through its entire run, appearing on all nine studio albums: Last Night in Town (2001), Hot Damn! (2003), Gutter Phenomenon (2005), The Big Dirty (2007), New Junk Aesthetic (2009), Ex Lives (2012), From Parts Unknown (2014), Low Teens (2016), and the final record Radical (2021). The group mixed metallic hardcore with Southern rock grooves, punk energy, and sharp, often sardonic lyrics, earning a reputation for ferocious live shows and a dedicated following across the metalcore and hardcore scenes. They spent their first decade on Ferret Music before signing with Epitaph. The band announced its breakup in early 2022.
After the split, Williams returned to music with Atomic Rule, a heavier project featuring Travis Bennington (Eternal Sleep), drummer Kevin Boutot (Dry Kill Logic, formerly The Acacia Strain), and vocalist James Hendergroove. The band released the demo EP With Skull Crushing Force in 2025 and had been playing shows into 2026. Williams described the group as feeling like a true team after years of searching for the right fit.
Williams pursued professional wrestling in parallel with his music career, training in the mid-2010s and debuting under names including Billy Goat Williams before becoming The Butcher. He teamed for years with The Blade (Jesse Guilmette) in All Elite Wrestling and on the independent circuit. Their AEW contracts expired in June 2026. On the night he collapsed, Williams and The Blade were challenging TME for Enjoy Wrestling’s tag-team titles. Former bandmate Jordan Buckley posted that evening asking people to pray for Williams.
Williams leaves behind a catalog that helped define a generation of American metalcore and a second career that took him from club stages to national wrestling television. Cause of death has not been released.
