'The Devil Wears Prada' Musician Who Survived Mass Shooting Killed Alongside His Agent in Fireball San Diego Plane Crash Hours After Uploading Haunting Images from Cockpit
3 minute readPublished: Friday, May 23, 2025 at 12:47 pm
Former Devil Wears Prada Drummer Dies in San Diego Plane Crash
Former drummer Daniel Williams, known for his time with the rock band The Devil Wears Prada, tragically died in a plane crash in San Diego, California, on Thursday, May 22nd. The crash also claimed the life of his talent agent, Dave Shapiro, and reportedly, at least two other employees of Shapiro's agency, Sound Talent Group.
The fatal incident occurred shortly after Williams, 39, posted images from the cockpit of a Cessna plane on Instagram, including a picture of himself at the controls with the caption "Here we gooooo." The plane, owned by Shapiro, 42, crashed around 4 am Pacific time, approximately two miles from Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. The crash resulted in a fiery explosion, igniting 15 homes and several cars in a neighborhood managed by Liberty Military Homes, and injuring eight others.
This devastating event comes just six years after Williams survived a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, where nine people were killed. Williams had recently accepted a software engineering role at Apple, announcing the news on his X account on May 14th.
The Devil Wears Prada confirmed the deaths on their Instagram, posting a tribute to Williams and Shapiro. Shapiro's talent agency, Sound Talent Group, also released a statement expressing their devastation and offering condolences. Shapiro, an experienced pilot and flying instructor, had 15 years of experience. The plane, a Cessna 550 with tail number N666DS, had departed from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey late Wednesday night, stopping for fuel in Wichita, Kansas, before heading to California. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
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