Rock Drummer’s Final Posts: Daniel Williams Shared Cockpit Images Minutes Before Deadly Crash

Daniel Williams, the former drummer of metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada, tragically died in a Cessna 550 crash on Thursday, May 22, in a San Diego neighborhood. Alongside him was Dave Shapiro, 42, a talent agent and owner of Sound Talent Group (STG), who also lost his life in the accident.

Shortly before the crash, Williams shared a series of images inside the small aircraft on his Instagram Stories, including one captioned, “Hey. Hey…you…look at me…I’m the (co)pilot now,” and another saying, “Here we goooooo.” His final post read, “flying back with @davevelocity.”

Williams had left the music industry years ago, and recently announced on X that he had accepted a software engineering role at Apple, marking a new chapter after nearly eight years at GoPro.

He wrote, “I’m very excited to share that I’ve accepted a software engineering role at Apple. It’s been really tough to say goodbye to my friends and colleagues of nearly 8 years at GoPro, but it’s time for my next chapter. It’s time to help build the future.”

The Devil Wears Prada paid tribute to Williams on Instagram with images of the band’s history and a photo of him behind the drums, captioning the post, “♥️ no words. We owe you everything. Love you forever.”

The band, formed in Ohio, first rose to prominence with their 2006 album Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord, and notably chose their name before the release of the famous 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada.

“We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends,” a spokesperson for Shapiro’s STG wrote in a statement to Billboard. “Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today’s tragedy. Thank you so much for respecting their privacy at this time.”’

Daniel Williams’ Father Says Family Believes He Was On Plane With No Survivors, Awaiting Official Confirmation

Larry Williams, father of Daniel Williams, told TMZ that the family is certain Daniel was on the ill-fated Cessna 550 that crashed in San Diego, and they believe there were no survivors. However, he noted that they have yet to receive official confirmation from authorities regarding the crash details.