The Devil Wears Prada’s co-founding member, Daniel Williams, and alternative music legend, Dave Shapiro, have died in a tragic plane crash.
The Cessna 550 aircraft clipped a power line before smashing into the Tierrasanta neighbourhood in San Diego on Thursday (22.05.25).
A while before the incident, drummer Williams, who was 39, had eerily posted a picture from inside the cockpit on Instagram and captioned the post: “Hey. Hey … you … look at me … I’m the (co)pilot now.”
Shapiro, 42, was the founder of the Sound Talent Group and also a pilot and owner of Velocity Aviation.
A spokesperson for Sound Talent Group confirmed: “We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends.
“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.”
The crash reportedly left one home destroyed and eight people injured on the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the cause of the accident.
Metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada – which Daniel formed in 2005 – reacted to the devastating loss of their former bandmate: “No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever.”
Drummer Luke Holland shared: “I just FaceTimed Daniel, what a devastating loss. RIP Daniel Williams. We did a bunch of tours together and when I was the super ‘young guy’ on the road, he always treated me really well.”
Tributes have also flooded in for Shapiro – whose clients have included Sum 41, Pierce the Veil, I Prevail, Parkway Drive, and many more – including from boy band Hanson.
The ‘MMMBop’ hitmakers wrote: “Dave was fearless in life, and tireless in his work, and the kind of friend you would want on your speed dial. Dave seemed to always be working on a new endeavour, or to be going on a new adventure, because he was always exited for a new challenge. We are grateful for the 15 years we knew him.”
After leaving The Devil Wears Prada in 2016, Daniel went on to work as a software engineer and had recently started a new role at Apple.