Heavy metal drummer dead in San Diego light plane crash, father reportedly says
The former drummer of heavy metal band The Devil Wears Prada was among those killed in a small plane crash in San Diego on Thursday, his father told TMZ.
According to that report, Daniel Williams, 39, was among the several people killed after the Cessna private crashed into into a San Diego military housing neighborhood on Thursday morning.
There were six people on board the plane and police said at least two were killed in the crash, but have not named Williams as a victim. Authorities say they are not expecting to find any survivors.
Williams' father, Larry Williams, told TMZ that he was confident that his son was on the plane, but that the family had also not received confirmation from authorities.
The former drummer posted an image from the cockpit of the jet on his Instagram story on Wednesday, shortly before takeoff.
Responding to reports of Williams' death, the band posted an image of him on their Instagram account on Thursday.
'No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever,' the band wrote.
The small aircraft left Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, just outside New York City, at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday, Eliott Simpson, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Bureau, said on Thursday. It stopped in Wichita, Kansas, to refuel before continuing to its final destination in San Diego, he said.
The plane struck a power line two miles south of the airport before crashing into the residential area, Simpson added.
The crash caused the destruction of multiple homes in the military housing area and prompted several cars to catch fire.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in a statement that six people were on board when the Cessna 550 crashed around 3:45 a.m. near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, north of San Diego.
Among the other victims includes Sound Talent Group co-founder Dave Shapiro, a company spokesperson said.
"We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends,' the company said in a statement. 'Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today's tragedy."
Shapiro, 42, helmed an impressive roster of artists, including Vanessa Carlton, Pierce The Veil, Lamb of God, I Prevail, Sum 41 and Hanson, according to the music group's website.
'No one could say a bad word about him he was just a beautiful beautiful guy," Lionel Conway, a friend of Shaipro's, told the TODAY Show on Friday.
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