Each former member of Every Time I Die‘s final lineup have now issued statements on the untimely passing of their ex-bandmate, guitarist Andy Williams. Tragically, Williams died after suffering a medical emergency during a professional wrestling match last night, September 05th. He was 48. Initial reports stated that he collapsed towards the conclusion of the match. A cause of death has yet to be released.
Both the worlds of heavy metal and professional wrestling which Williams inhabited professionally for decades have been paying tribute to him in the wake of this tragic news. His former bandmates in Every Time I Die have also shared heartfelt tributes to their beloved friend.
The band’s former guitarist Jordan Buckley has made numerous posts, including the below statement:
“Once on warped tour Andy asked production if, when we got to Chicago, he could try and break the Guinness book of world records for most hugs given, because that was the most highly attended date. They said no due to the congestion it would cause, but, I am so lucky to have spent 28 years next to someone that would even think to ask that.
Today is the saddest day of my entire life. I just had to use a calculator to figure out 44-16=28 because my brain and heart feel so broken. Everything you read about him is true. I’ll cherish every minute we spent together, regret every minute we didn’t, and promise to spend the rest of my life being more like him. We all should.
I love you so much Andy. I don’t want to keep typing because I’d never stop, but I don’t want to hit send because I don’t want this to be real. I’ll see you in everything forever.”
Bassist Stephen Micciche shared:
“I had lunch with Andy 6 weeks ago when he played Buffalo. I couldn’t stay too long cause I had a busy day but wanted to catch up before the show. As soon as I walked in, we were immediately laughing, telling stories, and I cancelled the rest of my plans. That lunch turned out to be 4hrs. I told him at the end that, and I don’t know how it’s humanly possible, but how am I witnessing the best version of Andy Williams after 48 years & 26 of them knowing him? He looked great, happier than ever, and I was so glad we had that hang.
Andy was a lot of incredible things. But his true gift, almost cheat code like, was next level excelling at everything he put his creative mind and energy to, the infectious passion that he carried with it, always moving forward, & how he made everyone feel welcome & loved around him no matter who you were. And I’m lucky and honored to have had a front row seat to witness it for nearly 3 decades.
I have a very small family. I looked up to Andy like an older brother who I learned from every day. When he decided to give wrestling a go at age 35, I was just so in awe and inspired by him. Beating odds, dual careers living out childhood dreams. He was a walking superhero to me who I just thought would always be here.
No one I’ve met on earth could captivate a room full of people & be the best narrator of one of the craziest stories you’ve ever heard like him. There were times where I’d see a circle of 12 people around him, hypnotized, soaking up every word he was saying. I would always stop to hear it, even if it was 10 seconds, cause you knew it was going to be the best. Homies on tour, strangers he just met at merch at a show, didn’t matter. He made everyone feel like they were his best friend. He cared, a lot. That’s something I’ll truly miss the most.
The last thing ETID ever recorded was a cover of “Youth Overrided” by Cave In. It was Andy and I’s favorite song of theirs. I will always think of you when I hear it.
Andy, I love you. Life will never be the same. Thank you for making me & many others better people for knowing you. What an eternal gift. Share an Andy moment if you got one so I can read them forever. Til the other side.”
Drummer Clayton “Goose” Holyoak offered up:
“Andy,
It’s hard to say anything that hasn’t been said about you. My feed is full of incredible memories and stories from people I don’t even know. You were truly loved. You were a true example of kindness with a beautiful mix of chaos and adventure.I’ll never forget the way you were always ready to include new people along your journey and thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to be one of those people. We did so much cool shit together.. I remember you telling me a story about your music teacher. He said, you’d never be a musician – and look what you became. I loved that you lived life that way.
You wanted to do the things that couldn’t be done. Anything you put your mind to you would attain. You showed us how to live life to the fullest and I was lucky enough to be in the seat with you. I’ll remember you every day for the rest of my life. See you in the beyond, Big Man.”
Former Every Time I Die vocalist Keith Buckley (also of Many Eyes) posted on his Instagram, “I love you, Big Man.” Ex-bassist Josh Newton also kept it brief, offering: “Until next time. Tell your friends you love them. He did.”
Ex-drummer Daniel Davison posted:
“Hard to process this news. Andy was one of the most kind and special people I’ve ever known. I’ll be eternally grateful for his friendship. This is going to hurt to bad for so long for so many people. Love you Andy.”
He further added:
“What a true priviledge and joy it was to look up while playing every night and lock in with Andy. Was magic in its purest form. His presence, kindness, humor, perspective, and approach to live were absolutely otherwordly. The ways that he showed up for his friends and family were truly inspiring to me, that’s a core Andy memory that goes back to when we first became friends in 2002.”
Update: September 09th, 2026 09:13am:
Keith Buckley has since shared a more extensive post remembering his late friend and bandmate:
“Andy Williams made people feel like they belonged. There’s a truck stop on Walden Avenue in Cheektowaga right across from the mall called Jims Truck Stop and it sits at an exit where multiple highways merge. As a child I had been driven past it a lot and as a teenager I drove past it even more. I liked thinking about all the different lives that were gathering there.
And not just the sheer number of lives, the kind of lives too. Dads like Stallone in Over The Top or maybe even ladies like Large Marge in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. The ones pulling into and out of that truck stop knew paths I didn’t and that, to me, made them like characters from a Kerouac book.
In 1999, Andy and I were in Every Time I Die together. We practiced in the basement of Mike’s parents’ house in North Tonawanda. One night after practice I drove back to West Seneca where I grew up. When I got home, I found I was hungry and with the neon sign of Jims fresh in my mind from the ride I decided it was finally time to go check it out.
I didn’t really care about the food and I didn’t care that it meant getting back in the car. I just wanted to say I had been there. I wanted the experience. So after spending years imagining the mysterious lives of the strangely beautiful people inside, I finally walked through the door. And there was Andy Williams, eating a meal.
When he saw me come in, it looked like he had been expecting me. He put his napkin down, stood up and hugged me and as he hugged me he said, “I love this fucking guy.” He made me feel like I belonged.
I watched Andy do versions of that for other people for years. After playing a show and loading out, when everyone was exhausted and there were plenty of reasons to get out of there, Andy would go back inside the venue and make time for people. He stayed, because He loved to make a place feel like it had been waiting for you specifically.”
