Joel Taylor, Star of Discovery’s ‘Storm Chasers,’ Has Reportedly OD’d on a Gay Caribbean Cruise
An Atlantis Cruise that left Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 20 and will end in the same port on Jan. 27 has been hit with horrible news, as it’s been reported that Joel Taylor, star of the Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers, was found dead of a suspected overdose on Wednesday, Jan. 24. He was only 38 years old.
The cruise, called the “Atlantis Harmony Caribbean” cruise, is one of several cruises organized by Atlantis Events, the leading producer of all-gay cruises and resort vacations. This particular cruise takes place on the Royal Caribbean ship Harmony of the Seas — reportedly the largest in the world — and has planned stops on the islands of St. Maarten; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the Atlantis-owned private island of Labadee.
Taylor, a meteorologist, starred on Storm Chasers while the series aired on the Discovery Channel between 2007–2012. The show followed a team of storm chasers who intercepted tornadoes in different parts of the United States.
According to TMZ, Taylor consumed GHB (a common party drug on-board gay cruises) and went unconscious on the ship’s dance floor on Tuesday night. He was reportedly taken off the dance floor and taken up to his room by two people. Law enforcement tells TMZ, “It appears the death could be an overdose and Joel Taylor was consuming controlled substances.”
The cruise liner released a statement to Us Weekly:
We extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the 38-year-old male guest from the United States who died while onboard Harmony of the Seas. As is our standard procedure, law enforcement was notified and responded to the ship when it arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday, January 23. A member of our Care Team is providing support and assistance to his family.
Discovery also released a statement about Joel Taylor and his passing:
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.
Many found out about this tragic Joel Taylor news via Taylor’s Storm Chasers co-star Reed Timmer, who confirmed the news via 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. 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 pic.twitter.com/htN45t8wik
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) January 24, 2018
Timmer has since also posted the below image, of a tribute to Joel Taylor from the storm-chasing community.
SpotterNetwork tribute for the great storm chaser Joel Taylor centered on his "backyard" in western OK. Joel knew every single back road in that region so we were always excited when we would get the opportunity to chase there. Thank you storm chasing community pic.twitter.com/Zk1bWVUdIo
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) January 24, 2018
Featured image of Joel Taylor obtained via Twitter
