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# Guitarist Andy Williams (ex-Every Time I Die) Dies at 48
- URL: https://www.southboundsignal.net/every-time-i-die-founding-guitarist-andy-williams-dies-at-48/
- Published: 2026-09-06T14:50:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-08T00:09:15.000Z
- Description: The founding guitarist of metalcore mainstays Every Time I Die and the professional wrestler known as The Butcher, has died at 48.
- Author: Southbound Signal Staff
- Tags: News, Metalcore

**Andy Williams**, founding guitarist of Buffalo metalcore band **Every Time I Die** and the professional wrestler known as **The Butcher**, has died at 48.

**Williams** suffered a medical emergency Saturday night, September 5, near the end of a tag-team match at **Enjoy Wrestling**'s fifth-anniversary event at Mr. Small's Theatre in Millvale, Pennsylvania. He was teaming with longtime partner **The Blade** against **TME**.

In a statement, Enjoy Wrestling said doctors at the venue immediately began administering CPR and continued until an ambulance arrived. The promotion ended the show as **Williams** was transported to a hospital. His death was subsequently confirmed by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office, [**according to *Sports Illustrated***](https://www.si.com/fannation/wrestling/aew/former-aew-star-andy-the-butcher-williams-dead-at-48?ref=southboundsignal.net). A cause of death has not been announced.

For music fans, **Williams** was the imposing rhythm guitarist whose riffs and stage presence were central to **Every Time I Die**. He helped form the band in 1998 and remained with the group throughout its entire run, which ended in 2022\. Across records including *Hot Damn!*, *The Big Dirty*, *Low Teens* and the band's final album, *Radical*, **Every Time I Die** fused metalcore, hardcore, and Southern rock that made the group one of the most unique, defining heavy bands of its generation.

**Williams** later returned to music with **Atomic Rule**. The band released its first recorded material in 2025, issuing [*With Skull Crushing Force*](https://atomicrule288.bandcamp.com/album/with-skull-crushing-force?ref=southboundsignal.net) in September and [*The Golden Rose*](https://atomicrule288.bandcamp.com/album/the-golden-rose?ref=southboundsignal.net) in December. Both releases featured **Williams** on guitar.

His longtime interest in professional wrestling eventually developed into a second career. Performing as **The Butcher**, **Williams** debuted in **All Elite Wrestling (AEW)** alongside **The Blade** in 2019, bringing the same unmistakable presence he carried onstage into the ring. The team departed AEW in June 2026, with **Williams** subsequently returning to the independent wrestling circuit.

**Williams** leaves behind a singular legacy spanning the interconnected worlds of heavy music and professional wrestling. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, bandmates, and colleagues.