A Look At The Tragic Death Of Joel Taylor From Storm Chasers
On Jan. 23, 2018, Joel Taylor was found unresponsive in his room aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Harmony of the Seas and later confirmed dead, according to ABC News. He was 38 years old.
The cruise was docked in Puerto Rico and his body was released in San Juan before being sent to his native Oklahoma, where a funeral was held for him the following week. Per TMZ, witnesses reported seeing two men carry off Taylor from the dance floor earlier in the night.
The toxicology report, released by the Institute of Forensic Sciences of Puerto Rico five months after his passing, showed that Taylor died from an overdose caused by a "mix of drugs," per People. The toxicology report detailed that there were several substances found in his system: MDMA or ecstasy, the sleeping medication Zolpidem, ketamine, and the psychedelic amphetamine MDA.
A day after Taylor's death, his fellow meteorologist and Storm Chasers co-star Reed Timmer took to his Twitter page to pay his respects to his friend.
"RIP my best friend and storm chasing partner, Joel Taylor," Timmer wrote. "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."
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