The wrestling world woke up to the horrible news that Andy Williams, better known to wrestling fans as former AEW star The Butcher, passed away yesterday at age 48.

“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,” AEW wrote in a statement published on social media.

Williams wrestled for AEW from 2019 up until recently.

Many others who worked with Williams throughout his wrestling career posted their thoughts on X.

Taz: “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.”

Paige: “RIP Andy Williams, awful news to see this morning one of the best human beings.. Feel so lucky to have known you. Rest in power my friend.”

Brett Lauderdale: “The western ny wrestling family will mourn another devastating loss today. Not many were as universally loved as andy, he will be missed & remembered. Rest in peace and god bless you andy williams”

Jade Cargill: “Rip Butcher”

Stu Grayson: “Love you butch. For ever.”

Matt Hardy: “Saddened & shocked to hear about the passing of Andy Williams. Andy was a joy to work with – He was a kind, funny & deep individual who was an extremely talented musician & wrestler. My thoughts & prayers go out to all of Andy’s family, friends & fans. RIP brother”

Cruz Montana: “Love ya brother.”

Willow Nightingale: “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.”

Josh Alexander: “Andy Williams was a musician and wrestler. He was one of the best people I ever met. Everytime we spoke I left the conversation better for it. I’ll remember Andy for what he was. A dude with an enormous heart that could always put a smile on my face. Rest in Peace brother.”

The Young Bucks: “Love you Andy.”

Mark Henry: “Sad loss of a good brother. RIP Butcher!”

Dustin Rhodes: “Man, terrible news. RIP Andy.”

William Regal: “I’m deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Andy Williams. I enjoyed the time we spent together talking music and old wrestling. A lovely man. Rest well.”

Baron Corbin: “My man, I will miss you! Just heartbreaking!”

Prince Nana: “Rest in peace @andycomplains. Thank you”

Swerve Strickland: “R.I.P. Andy”

Sammy Guevara: “For a man his size, with all the tattoos, you’d assume he’d be this monster. But in reality, Andy Williams was always such a kind person to Tay and me anytime we saw him. Very sad day. RIP brother.”

Rusev: “Prayers for my friend Andy.”

Amazing Red: “Ain’t no way man… We were literally just chatting about life and wrestling hours ago! #ripButcher”

Lance Archer: “God Speed brother. Andy Williams aka The Butcher”

Gabe Sapolsky: “Just waking up to the new of Andy Williams. I only had a couple of correspondence with him. This is terrible. My deepest condolences to his friends and family. My heart goes out to all of you.”

Athena: “Just extremely awful news to wake up to. You were always so kind and I truly do miss talking and exchanging food recipes. Rip Butcher. My condolences to all friends and family.”

Lexis King: “Andy was an incredible person to be around. He had permanent aux privileges because his taste in music was impeccable. He always knew what song to play and when! IYKYK. Rest in Peace to an amazing human being.”

Bryce Remsburg: “Andy Williams was consistently in rooms full of cool and interesting people. And even so, Andy was consistently the most cool and interesting person in a room. Effortlessly. He made you feel cool and interesting just by talking to you. His smile could light up a stadium.”

Amanda Huber: “My heart is broken this morning hearing about my friend Andy. One of the sweetest people you’d ever meet. There’s something that always felt like back home when talking to him. Maybe it was the WNY accent but I think it was just who he was. Any time we’d end up sitting with each other we would talk about the most incredible range of subjects from playing instruments, foraging for food, wrestling, cosmology, and anything in between. He was an extraordinarily talented person both in the ring and outside of it. He was remarkably kind. The world needs more people like him. I’m wrapping Hana in my love, thoughts, and prayers. Also sending love to Jesse and everyone in Andy’s inner circle who I know is devastated by this loss.”

Matt Cardona: “RIP Andy Williams. I wasn’t lucky enough to know him well, but he was always super cool to me when we saw each other. I was mad at him when he shaved his head because his Butcher figure had long hair and became inaccurate.”

Frankie Kazarian: “I didn’t know Andy’s condition last night. I held off from texting assuming he was getting bombarded. Learned of his passing, and I am just sick with devastation. We bonded years ago over music, and became close through wrestling. A better dude, you won’t find. Godspeed my friend”