Andy 'The Butcher' Williams Passes Away At 48 Years Old (AEW News)
Former AEW star and Every Time I Die guitarist Andy 'The Butcher' Williams passes away.
Andy Williams, best known to wrestling fans as The Butcher, has passed away at 48 years old.
Fightful reported on Saturday evening that Williams, formerly of AEW, had required medical attention after collapsing after a tag match at an Enjoy Wrestling event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that night. Paramedics performed chest compressions and used a defibrillator on Williams, who was later taken to hospital in an ambulance, with the rest of the show cancelled.
Enjoy Wrestling released the following statement shortly after:
Andy collapsed at the end of his match this evening. Our doctors on staff tended to him immediately, administering CPR until the ambulance arrived. We sent everyone home and are at the hospital now waiting for more information. Thanks to everyone who helped and has reached out
Now, TMZ reports that the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed Williams' passing.
Wrestling fans will likely remember Williams best for his time in AEW. As The Butcher, he and tag team partner The Blade debuted on the 27 November 2019 episode of Dynamite. Managed by Allie, AKA The Bunny, they attacked Cody Rhodes, immediately entering a short feud with 'The American Nightmare' and QT Marshall.
The Butcher and The Blade quickly became fixtures in AEW's tag division, starring in brisk, hard-hitting hardcore matches with teams like The Young Bucks and Natural Nightmares, while also giving FTR their first AEW tag team match after signing in 2020.
AEW parted ways with Butcher and Blade when their contracts expired in June 2026. Since then, the duo had re-entered the US independent scene, most notably for GCW.
Beyond wrestling, Williams was a trailblazing, genre-redefining guitarist for iconic hardcore band Every Time I Die. With the band from its 1998 formation until their 2022 split, Williams helped rewrite the heavy music rulebook across nine boundary-pushing studio albums, with their live shows revered for their wild, raucous energy.
In recent years, Williams' musical focus was Atomic Rule: a heavier, sludgier act, whose latest EP, The Golden Rose, came out in December 2025.
But above all else, Williams was a kind, warm-hearted man who left a giant impression on anyone lucky enough to interact with him. To have connected with Andy was to love him. As remarkable as his contributions to the worlds of music and wrestling were, this goes beyond that.
Rest in peace, Andy 'The Butcher' Williams. WhatCulture extends its deepest condolences to those closest to him.