The news of professional storm chaser Joel Taylor’s death saddened many on Tuesday, and police are now saying a drug overdose is suspected to have caused his death.
“It appears the death could be an overdose and Joel Taylor was consuming controlled substances,” law enforcement reportedly told TMZ.
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Taylor’s official cause of death is still unclear. His body is currently undergoing an autopsy in Puerto Rico.
The news comes after it was reported that the former cast member on the Discovery Channel’s reality TV series Storm Chasers was aboard a cruise ship at the time of his death.
According to The Blast, Taylor, had been on a week-long voyage aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship at the time of his death. The cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, which was chartered by a private company, had departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday, Jan. 20. Taylor’s death occurred on Monday, Jan. 22, while the ship was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
TMZ also reported that a passenger who interacted with Joel said that Joel had consumed enough GHB on the dance floor Tuesday that he was rendered unconscious and taken off the dance floor by two people and back to his room.
The Elk City, Oklahoma native appeared on the 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.
News of the 38-year-old’s death was announced Tuesday on Twitter by Reed Timmer, Taylor’s friend and former cast member.
“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.
Mike Olbinski, a storm-chasing pal, was one of the many to remember 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.”
