Following yesterday morning’s confirmation that former AEW and Ring of Honor wrestler Andy “The Butcher” Williams died following his collapse during a match at an independent show in Pittsburgh Saturday night (Sept. 5), farewells and remembrances of the 48-year-old Buffalo, New York native flooded social media.
NOTE: Where people have quote-tweeted an announcement, or in cases where the full message doesn’t display in the tweet, we’ve cut & pasted their words and linked to their tweet.
All Elite Wrestling
is saddened to learn of the passing of Andy Williams, aka The Butcher. 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. Our condolences go out to Williams’ family, friends and fans.
CM Punk’s Instagram Story:
What a awesome & creative man this was. His body of work as a musician & pro wrestler is so cool! Purely such a talented person. But as you are all reading so many people who knew Andy they are telling you what a great person he was & such a gentle soul. That’s all very true. A great guy that worked hard, no shortcuts who wasn’t a fake or a bullshit artist…he was genuine, which is a very rare character trait in all forms of the entertainment business.
He was just a REAL DUDE.
I use to call him “Big Butch” every-time I saw him & he would giggle & smile!RIP big man. 🙏
Willow later re-posted her original message, adding:
During the Jacksonville days, Andy (along with Eddie) really advocated for me. He encouraged me to keep trying when my dreams still felt so far away. He raised my confidence. He made AEW feel like family even when I wasn’t officially a part of the team. And from what I’ve heard, he kept dropping my name in TK’s ear whenever given the chance
That’s not to make this about me, but to share a little insight on who Andy was. While I’ve known him for years, he really had no stake in helping me or seeing me succeed other than wanting to see a good person have good things happen
This man basically created a new sound with ETID and then pivoted to wrestling and crushed that too. He had every right to have an ego, but he didn’t. He reached his hand out and did what he could to help others💖
Andy, like many of us, was one of my favorite people I had the pleasure of becoming friends with. Two years back I told Andy I really liked the jacket he was wearing. He pulled up the website, but they were no longer selling it. He then told me to try it on, and after I did he told me to keep it. I still wear this jacket today.
Funny, generous, one of a kind.
I love you Andy, I’m going to miss you.
Andy was legitimately one of the best human beings I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing, and I’m so incredibly grateful to call him my friend. I’m going to miss the insane texts we’d send each other and the way we managed to make everyone around us uncomfortable every single time we greeted each other. Those are the things that make me laugh through how much this hurts. I love you dearly, my friend. I’m going to miss you more than I can possibly put into words.
I was at a restaurant after a show one time and met a group of AEW fans. Like usual, I struck up conversation with them to gauge their interest in us and they told me something fascinating:
They weren’t big wrestling fans at all. They had discovered it via Andy Williams’s social media. They were actually big E.T.I.D. fans and became obsessed with wrestling after the band broke up. I thought that was so cool.
The following week at Dynamite, I told Andy this story and he smiled big. He said it wasn’t the first time he’d heard that but it always surprised him when he did and he never stopped appreciating it.
He had that big, mean, scary look that only a wrestler could have, but he was such a gentle, kind soul.
Rest easy, Big Butcher.
I remember this very well. After the match, Andy was crying to me with happy tears, and that started my water works as well. Andy is one of the kindest people I have ever met, with a pure heart and soul. I will miss you my friend. Prayers to ur family and loved ones. 🙏🏼❤️ #Butcher
Seeing all this love for Andy everywhere,
He had twice as much for everyone else.How that’s even possible I’ll never understand.
One of the best ways we can honor him is by learning how to be that same light in the room as he was.
I think one of his greatest traits was his willingness to be vulnerable.
He wasn’t afraid to be honest, say hello to a stranger, chat with anyone, help when not asked, laugh or cry with anyone- you name it.All I know for sure right now is if he saw all this about him today, man his heart would be full.
There were surely more, as Williams was clearly loved. Even if we never met you, we’ll miss you. Thanks for making people’s lives better, Butcher.
