Andy Williams, the founding guitarist of Every Time I Die and professional wrestler known as “The Butcher,” has died at 48. Williams died Saturday, Sept. 5, after collapsing during a wrestling match at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale, Pennsylvania, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Williams was competing alongside his longtime tag-team partner Jesse Guilmette, known as “The Blade,” at an Enjoy Wrestling event when he suffered a medical emergency near the end of their match. Medical personnel at the venue immediately attended to him and administered CPR before an ambulance transported him to a hospital. The medical examiner confirmed that Williams was pronounced dead at 9:43 p.m. local time. An official cause of death has not been announced.

Enjoy Wrestling subsequently canceled the event. The promotion said its doctors responded immediately after Williams collapsed and continued emergency treatment until paramedics arrived.

All Elite Wrestling, where Williams performed as The Butcher, confirmed his death Sunday. In a statement, AEW described him as a trailblazing musician with Every Time I Die and Atomic Rule who successfully transitioned into professional wrestling and was respected by colleagues in both fields.

Williams co-founded Every Time I Die in Buffalo, New York, in 1998 alongside guitarist Jordan Buckley and drummer Michael “Ratboy” Novak. He remained the band’s rhythm guitarist throughout its career and appeared on all nine of its studio albums, including Hot Damn!, The Big Dirty, From Parts Unknown, Low Teens and the band’s final album, Radical, released in 2021. Every Time I Die broke up in 2022 after more than two decades together.

Following the breakup of Every Time I Die, Williams continued making music with Atomic Rule, a band he formed in 2023. The group released its With Skull Crushing Force demo EP in 2025. Hours before his death, Williams had appeared in a video discussing the band’s latest work, saying its members had recently spent a week writing and recording demos in Pittsburgh and were preparing for future plans.

Williams’ professional wrestling career developed alongside his music career. He and Guilmette began working together as The Butcher and The Blade in 2017, before joining AEW in 2019. Williams became a recognizable figure in the promotion’s tag-team division and continued wrestling on the independent circuit after his AEW run.

News of Williams’ death prompted tributes from musicians and professional wrestlers across both communities. His former Every Time I Die bandmate Jordan Buckley had earlier asked fans to pray for Williams after learning of the medical emergency, while wrestlers and musicians subsequently shared messages remembering him following confirmation of his death.

Williams was 48. He is survived by his family, friends, former bandmates, wrestling colleagues and fans across the music and wrestling communities.