The cruise ship on which professional storm chaser Joel Taylor died is continuing to party.
According to inside reports obtained by TMZ, parties aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Harmony of the Seas haven’t ceased in the wake of the 38-year-old’s death due to a suspected drug overdose.
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Passengers aboard the ship allege that a “White Party” was thrown Thursday night and that drugs, including ecstasy and ketamine, were still readily available.
The news comes after it was reported Wednesday that he former cast member of the Discovery Channel’s reality TV series Storm Chasers was aboard a cruise ship at the time of his death. Taylor, 38, had reportedly been on a week-long voyage aboard the Royal Caribbean ship, which had departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday, Jan. 20. Taylor’s death occurred on Monday, Jan. 22, while the cruise ship was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Passengers aboard the ship at the time of Taylor’s death reported that the Storm Chasers star had consumed GHB during a party held on the ship and that he eventually had fallen into unconsciousness and was taken to his room. Passengers had also reported that drugs, including cocaine, ecstasy, and GHB, had been flowing freely aboard the ship at the time of Taylor’s death.
The FBI has since opened an investigation into Taylor’s death, how the drugs got on board the ship, and who may have supplied the drugs.
News of the 38-year-old’s death was announced Tuesday on Twitter by Reed Timmer, Taylor’s friend and former cast member on the Discovery Channel documentary reality TV series Storm Chasers.
“RIP my best friend and storm chasing partner, Joel Taylor. I am shocked and absolutely devastated by the loss of my incredible, caring friend. We chased so many intense storms, and I wish we could have just one more storm chase. I’ll miss you forever, Joel. We lost a legend,” Timmer tweeted along with a series of photos of the pair while storm chasing.
The Elk City, Oklahoma native starred on the Discovery Channel series from 2008 up until its cancellation in 2012. The series was filmed annually in the area known as Tornado Alley, where meteorologists could study the most frequent and severe storms and tornadoes in the central part of the country.
