When their Cessna 550 aircraft clipped a power line prior to crashing into the Tierrasanta neighborhood of San Diego on Thursday (5.22,) The Devil Wears Prada‘s co-founding member, Daniel Williams, and alternative music legend, Dave Shapiro, died in the tragic plane crash.
Before the disaster, the band’s 39-year old Williams took to Instagram with a picture from inside the cockpit and the caption “Hey. Hey … you … look at me … I’m the (co)pilot now.”
Formed by Daniel in 2005, Metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada reacted to the devastating loss of their former bandmate with “No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever,” with fellow drummer Luke Holland writing “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.”
After departing The Devil Wears Prada in 2016, Williams went on to work as a software engineer and had recently started a new role at Apple.
The 42-year old Shapiro was the founder of Sound Talent Group and also a pilot and owner of Velocity Aviation.
In a statement about the horrific accident, a spokesperson for Sound Talent Group said:
“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.”
Tributes for Dave Shapiro – whose clients have included Sum 41, Pierce the Veil, I Prevail, Parkway Drive, and many more – including from boy band Hanson who penned:
“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.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the cause of the accident that reportedly left one home destroyed and eight people injured on the ground.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Staselnik