The pro wrestler “collapsed at the end of his match” with tag team partner Jesse Guilmette on Saturday, Sept. 5
Credit: Larry Marano/Shutterstock
NEED TO KNOW
- Andy “The Butcher” Williams died after collapsing during a wrestling match at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Pennsylvania on Sept. 5
- “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,” All Elite Wrestling wrote in a tribute post
- The pro wrestler allegedly “hit his head on a ring post” before event staff administered CPR and rushed him to the hospital
Andy “The Butcher” Williams has died after collapsing during a wrestling match. He was 48.
All Elite Wrestling announced his death on social media on Sunday, Sept. 6.
“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,” the promoter wrote in a tribute post. “Our condolences go out to Williams’ family, friends and fans.”
Williams’ agent also confirmed his death to KDKA-TV, saying, “He was a wonderful man, and I will miss him every day.”
Credit: Larry Marano/Shutterstock
Hours before the tragic news broke, Enjoy Wrestling shared that Williams “collapsed at the end of his match” with tag team partner Jesse Guilmette (also known as The Blade) at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale, Pa.
“Our doctors on staff tended to him immediately, administering CPR until the ambulance arrived,” the event organizer wrote on social media. “We sent everyone home and are at the hospital now waiting for more information. Thanks to everyone who helped and has reached out.”
According to dispatch audio obtained by TMZ, Williams allegedly “hit his head on a ring post” during the match.
The Millvale Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The Office of the Allegheny County Medical Examiner confirmed to PEOPLE that Williams died in the hospital at 9:43 p.m. local time, about an hour after the incident occurred at the match.
Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE’s free sports newsletter — sign up now!
Before joining All Elite Wrestling in 2019, Williams played with the band Every Time I Die from the group’s inception in 1998 to its disbandment in 2022. He then formed a new band, Atomic Rule, in 2023.
“Anyone who’s written a song can wrestle a wrestling match,” he said on the Hardlore podcast last April. “Putting a song together is just like putting a wrestling match together. There’s ups and downs, there’s peaks and valleys.”
Credit: Daniel Boczarski/Getty
Following his death, several of Williams’ fellow musicians and wrestlers remembered him in emotional social media tributes.
“For a man his size, with all the tattoos, you’d assume he’d be this monster,” pro wrestler Sammy Guevara wrote on X. “But in reality, Andy Williams was always such a kind person to Tay [Melo] and me anytime we saw him. Very sad day. RIP brother.”
Wrestler Josh Alexander deemed Williams “one of the best people” he had ever met.
“Every time we spoke I left the conversation better for it,” he wrote on X. “I’ll remember Andy for what he was. A dude with an enormous heart that could always put a smile on my face.”
Josh Eppard, rock band Coheed and Cambria’s drummer, remembered Williams for “always being so kind and good-natured.”
“Andy was not only a pillar of one of the most true and influential bands in heavy music, he was also pulling double duty as a pro wrestler???” he wrote on X. “Two dreams we have as kids that 99.9% of the time float off into adult dust … he did em both. The world will miss Andy and selfishly, so will I.”
Read the full article here
