‘Storm Chasers’ Cast Member Joel Taylor Dies at 38

Professional storm chaser Joel Taylor has died at 38.

The Elk City, Oklahoma, native, who starred on Discovery Channel’s documentary reality TV series Storm Chasers, died on Tuesday, according to his friends.

The cause of Joel’s death remains unclear, but it is not believed to be related to storm chasing.

Friends and fellow Storm Chaser cast members penned emotional tributes to Taylor on social media following the news.

Best friend and former cast member Reed Timmer dedicated a message on Twitter.

“RIP my best friend and storm chasing partner, Joel Taylor. I am shocked and absolutely devastated by the loss of my incredible, caring friend,” Timmer tweeted along with photos of the pair on their tornado-chasing adventures.

“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,” added Timmer, who attended the University of Oklahoma with Taylor, who studied meteorology.

Mike Olbinski, a storm-chasing pal, remembered Taylor’s smile and joy.

“I was lucky enough to meet Joel a few years ago at Reed’s wedding. He was so kind to me and we got to hang out for a bit during those few days,” Olbinski tweeted with a photo from the wedding. “I snapped this photo of him and that just seemed like who he was. A huge smile. RIP Joel Taylor…you will be so missed.”

Taylor’s storm chasing team also expressed their condolences.

“Our community of Elk City and the Storm Chasing community lost a great guy today. Joel Taylor was truly an inspiration to myself and many who knew him. He was one of the most level headed chasers on the roads and truly a classy guy outside of chasing,” Team Western OK Chaser shared on Facebook.

“He didn’t chase for the glory he chased because he had a true passion for storms. In the last few years he’d load up with his dad and go chase and not even take a camera,” the group said. “Our hearts are hurting for his mom Tracy and dad Jimmy along with his brother and sister and their children. Please know you are in our prayers. RIP Joel.”

Storm Chasers was filmed annually in the area known as Tornado Alley, where meteorologists could study the most frequent and most severe tornadoes in the central part of the country. Several teams of storm chasers appeared in the series; Taylor joined the cast in early 2008 as part of the team from TornadoVideos.Net (TVN), led by Timmer.

The Discovery Channel series was canceled after five seasons in January 2012.