We have a pretty major and surprising update on the sudden death of Joel Taylor.
As previously reported, the former Storm Chaser star was found dead on Tuesday, passing away at the very young age of 38.
Multiple friends and ex-co-workers took to social media to confirm the sad news and also to pay tribute to Taylor, who graduated from the University of Oklahoma and who was rose to fame on the aforementioned Discovery Channel reality show.
He was admired by nearly everyone in the field of meteorology.
At the time of these reports and Twitter posts, however, the circumstances around Taylor’s death was unknown.
And the same could be said for his cause of death.
Now, however, TMZ and People Magazine have provided many more details on just what transpired Tuesday morning.
For starters, Taylor died on board the Royal Caribbean Cruise ship Harmony of the Seas.
It left from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico after his corpse was discovered by a fellow passenger.
“The U.S. Coast Guard in San Juan, Puerto Rico was notified today in the afternoon by the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas cruise ship that they had a death on board,” Ricardo Castrodad, public affairs officer for the Coast Guard’s San Juan sector, told People.
Taylor’s family has reportedly identified his body.
At the time of Taylor’s passing, the ship was hosting Atlantis Events’ all-gay Caribbean Cruise; Olivia Newton-John was the headlining act.
According to TMZ sources, drugs were prevalent on board the cruise liner.
It seems as though Taylor was partaking, per a law enforcement official who said the following to the celebrity gossip site:
“It appears the death could be an overdose and Joel Taylor was consuming controlled substances.”
A passenger who spent time with Taylor adds that he had consumed so much GHB on the dance floor early Tuesday morning that he was rendered unconscious and carried back to his cabin by two people.
A few hours later, his body was discovered and the authorities were called in.
TMZ goes on to write that the abundance of GHB, cocaine and ecstasy on the boat has triggered an FBI investigation.
Numerous individuals were apparently arrested for possession before the cruise left Fort Lauderdale and this agency will be looking into how the drugs ended up on board the ship.
And not merely on board, either, but on board in significant quantities.
Taylor’s close friend and former colleague Reed Timmer was among the first to publicly mourn his passing on social media.
“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 image of the pals when they were chasing storms together since 2008.
He added:
“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 the Discovery Channel in a statement:
“We are so saddened to hear about Joel’s passing. We will always remember him fondly as an incredible meteorologist and driver of ‘The Dominator.’
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
We echo this sentiment. May Joel rest in peace.
