Friends, family, and friends of former Christian metalcore drummer, Daniel Williams, are mourning his presumed death after a small plane he was reportedly traveling on crashed in San Diego. It took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and made a stop in Wichita, Kansas before heading on to California.
Williams, 39, was the drummer for a popular band, The Devil Wears Prada, which he left in 2016 to pursue a career in software engineering.
According to The Daily Mail, the Cessna plane took off from Teterboro at 11:15pm ET on Wednesday night and crashed near Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego.
Williams reportedly told friends that he was traveling with Dave Shapiro, a music agent and the pilot of the plane.
Before it took off, he shared a series of snaps to his Instagram stories, one of which shows him posing in front of the plane’s controls.
Investigators have reportedly confirmed that two people on the plane perished, who are presumably Shapiro and Williams, though the identity of the passengers isn’t confirmed.
People are already leaving messages of condolences on Williams’ Instagram page, with one saying, “I can’t believe you’re gone. I remember the first time seeing you guys at Summerfest 2010, and I still have your drumstick from Warped tour 2011. I’m glad I got to meet you. I’m so sorry and my heart goes out to all of your family, friends, & loved ones. You will be missed brother. 🖤”
We’ll be keeping an eye out for future developments on this story.
Popular Drummer, 39, Feared to Have Perished in Plane Crash first appeared on Parade on May 22, 2025
