Plane crash claims lives of heavy metal music exec and metal drummer

Dave Shapiro, a music executive in the heavy metal and hard rock scene, and drummer Daniel Williams were among those killed in a San Diego plane crash.

Six people, including Shapiro and Williams, were on board the plane when it crashed into a neighborhood of U.S. Navy-owned housing in San Diego early Thursday morning. There are not believed to be any survivors.

Williams, former drummer for metal band The Devil Wears Prada, posted on his Instagram on Wednesday afternoon that he was boarding the plane with Shapiro. The band has posted a tribute to Williams on their Instagram page.

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Daniel Williams, former drummer for metal band The Devil Wears Prada, posted on his Instagram on Wednesday afternoon that he was boarding the plane with David Shapiro. (Chelsea Lauren/WireImage/AP Photo)

“No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever,” the band wrote.

Shapiro had a pilot’s license and was listed as the owner of the plane that crashed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. He was among the six people killed in the crash, along with two employees, the music agency Sound Talent Group confirmed Thursday.

“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.”

— Sound Talent Group

“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,” the music agency he co-founded, Sound Talent Group, wrote in a statement.

Shapiro co-founded Sound Talent Group in 2018 alongside Tim Borror and Matt Andersen. The agency represented a diverse roster of artists, including Pierce The Veil, Parkway Drive, Sum 41 and Vanessa Carlton.

Shapiro was a strong advocate for independent musicians and a co-founder of the National Independent Talent Organization. He was included in Billboard’s 2012 “30 Under 30” list that recognized rising stars in entertainment. Industry veterans say Shapiro paved the way for the formation of other independent agencies and helped many alternative bands find audiences in the mainstream.

Dave Shapiro, a music executive in the heavy metal scene, has died in a San Diego plane crash. (Stephanie Siau/Sound Talent Group via AP Images)

Tributes poured in from across the music industry, with many praising Shapiro’s dedication to artists and his genuine character.

Sum 41 singer Deryck Whibley credited Shapiro with helping build the rock band back up during a “low point” in their career.

“His opinion mattered so much to me,” Whibley said. “He was that guy I would go to for advice on things.”

“Sum 41” singer/guitarist Deryck Whibley paid tribute to David Shapiro following the news of his death. (REUTERS/Steve Marcus)

Nate Blasdell, former lead guitarist for the band I Set My Friends on Fire, said he was “absolutely heartbroken.”

“Dave was the first booking agent I ever worked with and he was a major part of my music career in my late teen years,” he said in a post on X. 

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“He was truly the best in the game and one of the most respected people in the industry.”

In addition to his work in the music industry, Shapiro was a passionate aviator. He owned Velocity Aviation, a flight school offering lessons in San Diego and Homer, Alaska.

Investigators look through the site where a small plane crashed into a San Diego residential street on May 22, 2025. The Federal Aviation Authority said a Cessna 550 crashed at around 3:45 am local time. (SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

The small aircraft crashed in a large San Diego military neighborhood Thursday morning. Eight people in the neighborhood were injured, but none died.

The aircraft, a Cessna 550 Citation business jet, crashed around 3:45 a.m. in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, igniting multiple homes and cars in flames. 

Eight residents of the San Diego neighborhood were injured. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

The flight originated at Teterboro, New Jersey. After making a stop in Wichita, Kansas, it appeared to have been inbound to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.

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Homes were engulfed in flames, and jet fuel rolled down the streets, as half a dozen vehicles ignited while residents in the neighborhood of U.S. Navy-owned housing were shaken awake just before 4 a.m. by the thunderous crash and subsequent explosions. Out their windows, they saw a wall of fire.

Authorities work the scene where a small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

“I can’t quite put words to describe what the scene looks like, but with the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said, according to The Associated Press.

No one in the neighborhood died, but eight were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and injuries that were not life-threatening, including a person who was hurt climbing out a window, police officer Anthony Carrasco said.

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Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan, Alexandra Koch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.