ONLY hours after making a social media post that his band Atomic Rule were working on new music, guitarist Andy Williams has died.
Williams, who was most recently a professional wrestler performing under the name The Butcher for All Elite Wrestling, collapsed at the conclusion of his tag-team bout with long-time partner Jesse “The Blade” Guilmette on Saturday.
Despite emergency CPR, he died soon after. He was 48.
In a statement issued Sunday, AEW wrote, “All Elite Wrestling is saddened to learn of the passing of Andy Williams, aka The Butcher. 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. Our condolences go out to Williams’ family, friends and fans.”
A former member of the pioneering and influential New York metalcore band Every Time I Die, Williams played with the band for its entire run, founding the group in 1998 with Jordan Buckley and Michael Novak.
He began wrestling during the 2010s and joined AEW in 2019, putting aside his music career briefly when Every Time I Die disbanded in 2022. Williams formed Atomic Rule the following year.
