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Music festival honors fallen FDNY firefighter with video tribute

FDNY firefighter William Tolley was remembered by fans at the Bay Area Death Fest with a touching video about how he and his band helped inspire death metal

By FireRescue1 Staff

BERKELEY, Calif. — A fallen firefighter was remembered with a touching tribute video at a death metal music festival where his band headlined.

NY Daily News reported that a five-minute video honoring FDNY firefighter William Tolley was played at the Bay Area Death Fest and highlighted how he and his band, Internal Bleeding, helped inspire the death metal genre.

“His influence on me is paramount to this day, from his groove to his power to his attitude,” Misery Index band member Adam Jarvis said in the video. “Here’s to a legend.”

Sacrificial Slaughter frontman Steve Worley said in the video that Tolley “dedicated his life to (putting) others first.”

“Internal Bleeding must thrive and conquer the world in Billy’s name,” Worley said.

Tolley joined the band when he was just 16 years old and toured with them extensively across the country and put out 11 releases.

The FDNY firefighter died April 20, 2017 when he fell five stories from a tower ladder bucket while battling an apartment blaze.