Ex-Devil Wears Prada drummer Daniel Williams and music agent Dave Shapiro were killed in a fiery plane crash in San Diego just hours after Williams posted from the cockpit.
Daniel Williams, former drummer of the metal band The Devil Wears Prada, has tragically died in a plane crash — just hours after sharing a chilling cockpit photo on Instagram.
Williams, along with music talent agent and pilot Dave Shapiro, was on board a private Cessna jet that crashed in a San Diego neighborhood early Thursday morning. The crash, which occurred around 4 a.m. Pacific Time, left a trail of devastation, setting homes and cars ablaze and injuring eight others.
Hours before the deadly crash, Williams posted a photo of himself at the plane’s controls, captioned: “Here we gooooo.” He also tagged Shapiro, 42, who owned the plane and had long-standing ties with Williams and The Devil Wears Prada. In another eerily timed post, Williams wrote: “Hey. Hey… you… look at me… I’m the (co)pilot now,” alongside a shot of the plane’s control panel.
The band confirmed the heartbreaking news Thursday afternoon by posting a montage of photos of Williams and Shapiro on Instagram. “No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever,” they wrote in a tribute.
Williams had boarded the Cessna 550 at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey late Wednesday night. The aircraft, tail number N666DS, took off at 11:15 p.m., stopped in Wichita, Kansas for fuel, and then continued on toward California. Tragically, it went down just two miles from its destination, San Diego’s Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, in heavy fog.
The crash not only claimed the lives of Williams and Shapiro but also took at least two other employees from Shapiro’s agency, Sound Talent Group (STG), according to Billboard. The agency released a statement mourning the loss of their co-founder:
“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 for respecting their privacy at this time.”
Shapiro wasn’t just a major player in the music industry — he was also a passionate pilot and flying instructor with over 15 years of experience in the skies.
Tributes have been pouring in from the music world. Terrance Coughlin, a music executive, posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“Rest in Peace Dave Shapiro, Daniel Williams, and everyone on that flight. Some of my very first shows were booked through Dave. I had a handful of shows with Daniel, always a pleasure to see him play. Gone way too soon.”
The crash devastated a residential area run by Liberty Military Homes, affecting 15 homes and several vehicles. The investigation is ongoing, but the music world is already mourning the loss of two of its own — a drummer known for his raw energy and a talent agent remembered for his dedication to artists.
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