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Drummer and software developer Daniel Williams, 39, passed away in a San Diego plane crash on the morning of Thursday, May 22, 2025. Williams was a former member of the Ohio-based Christian metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada (TDWP).
The tragedy also claimed the lives of music agent and flight instructor Dave Shapiro, 42, the owner of the Sound Talent Group booking agency, alongside four others. Shapiro, who owned the Velocity Records label and was a founding member of the National Independent Talent Organization, was the pilot of the flight that crashed.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration's official statement, the flight clipped a power line in San Diego's suburban region, which eventually started a fire. It burned down several homes in the area and destroyed multiple vehicles, forcing around 100 people to evacuate. While all six members onboard were killed in the crash, nobody was harmed on the ground.
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In the wake of the tragedy, The Devil Wears Prada mourned the death of Daniel Williams via Instagram, where they posted pictures of the drummer and Shapiro.
“[red heart emoji] no words. We owe you everything. Love you forever,” the caption read.
Daniel Williams joined The Devil Wears Prada in 2005 during its formation in Dayton, Ohio, and parted ways in 2016. Neither the band nor Williams revealed the reason behind his exit.
At the time, TDWP shared an official statement announcing the split and wished Daniel “the best” for his future endeavors.
Meanwhile, the now-deceased drummer shared back-to-back posts on X, one of which read:
“And for those asking that have not gotten the update, I’m no longer a part of TDWP. Sorry for the confusion/ lack of clarification.”
However, Daniel Williams did not disclose the reason behind his departure from TDWP.
Exploring Daniel Williams’ tenure with The Devil Wears Prada
In July 2016, The Devil Wears Prada announced that Daniel Williams, their founding member and drummer was leaving the band. In a statement posted on Facebook, TDWP wrote that they wished him "nothing but the best with everything he does going forward."
"With respect, we would like to let our fans know that Daniel is no longer in The Devil Wears Prada. We wish him nothing but the best with everything he does going forward. We're putting the finishing touches on our new album and look forward to releasing new music very soon. Much love, TDWP," the post read.
Meanwhile, Williams confirmed his departure and uploaded a series of tweets. The first one read:
“I’m sure I’ll be getting a lot of questions today - I wish I were able to answer them. Just know that the fans are all that matter to me.”
In the follow-up tweet, Daniel urged his fans to “remember the good times and shows” and “please keep in touch.” He also showered his love and gratitude. Subsequently, he acknowledged how he enjoyed engaging with his fans, adding, “Now, I can call you all friends, instead.”
Daniel Williams asked people in San Diego to say hi to him if they met in the streets and thanked everyone for their love, support, and positive responses, calling them overwhelming.
He had been part of TDWP’s 2006 debut album, Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord. This was followed by the next four studio albums, including Plagues (2007), With Roots Above and Branches Below (2009), Dead Throne (2011), and 8:18 (2013). Williams and TDWP also dropped the hit EP, Zombie (2010) which charted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.
Notably, midway through the production of the band’s fifth album, Transit Blues, Daniel Williams left and was replaced by Giuseppe Capolupo. The latter is known for Demise of Eros, Haste the Day, and Once Nothing.
Transit Blues was released in October 2016 while Capolupo became a session musician from 2016 and 2019. He eventually joined TDWP full-time as a drummer in 2019 and continues to this day.
The Devil Wears Prada’s current lineup comprises founding vocalist and rhythm guitarist Jeremy DePoyster, lead vocalist and guitarist Mike Hranica, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Kyle Sipress, and bassist Mason Nagy. While Sipress joined the band in 2015, Nagy joined in 2019.
Keyboard and synthesizer player Jonathan Gering has been the band’s session musician since 2012 and later joined full-time in 2019. He also helps with backup vocals and programming. Before Gering, his roles were performed by founding member James Baney, who left TDWP in 2012.
Other former members of The Devil Wears Prada include founding lead guitarist Chris Rubey and founding bassist Andy Trick. They left in 2015 and 2019, respectively. Samuel Penner was the metalcore group’s touring guitarist in 2013.
Following his drumming gig with TDWP for over a decade, Daniel Williams joined the technology industry. He reportedly became a software developer for GoPro and served in the role for eight years. A week before he died in the San Diego plane crash, Williams joined Apple Inc. as an iOS developer.
In August 2019, Daniel Williams survived a mass shooting at the Ned Peppers bar in Dayton, Ohio, that killed 9 people and injured 26 others.
Ahead of their fatal flight on Thursday morning, Daniel Williams took to Instagram and shared several pictures from the runway and inside the cockpit alongside Dave Shapiro. He even joked about being Shapiro’s “co-pilot.”
According to the statement released by the Federal Aviation Administration, the Cessna 550 jet had six people onboard. The plane crashed 2 miles south of Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in the Tierrasanta neighborhood of San Diego around 3:45 am PT.
The plane had taken off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and was flying to San Diego, California. On Wednesday night, it briefly made a stop in Wichita, Kansas, to refuel the engine. It was registered to Daviator LLC, an entity managed by Shapiro.
