The cause of death of Storm Chasers star Joel Taylor was revealed this morning five months after his passing.
TMZ reports thatTaylor died from MDMA poisoning after taking ecstasy on a cruise ship, citing toxicology reports released by The Bureau of Forensic Sciences of Puerto Rico. In addition to ecstasy, traces of ketamine were found in his body.
Taylor was found unresponsive in his cabin aboard the Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas cruise hours after ingesting the substances. He was soon pronounced dead by local authorities.
The news was announced in January by his Storm Chasers co-star Reed Timmer 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 wrote. "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."
Taylor studied meteorology at the University of Oklahoma before starring on his Discovery Channel show, where he and his co-star chased storms in Oklahoma's Tornado Alley.
At the time of his death, Taylor was 38 years old.
The Discovery Channel star was laid to rest following a funeral at the First Baptist Church in Elk City, Oklahoma in January.
In lieu of flowers, his family has asked contributions be made to a University of Oklahoma scholarship fund set up in Taylor's name.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to his family.