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Joel Taylor, former star of the Discovery Channel's 'Storm Chasers,' dies at 38

Joel Taylor, a star of the former Discovery Channel reality show "Storm Chasers," has died at 38 of undisclosed causes.
/ Source: TODAY

The storm chasing community has been left reeling by the death of Joel Taylor, one of the stars of the former Discovery Channel reality series "Storm Chasers."

The 38-year-old's death was announced by former "Storm Chasers" co-star Reed Timmer on Tuesday. The cause of his death has not been released.

Storm Chasers' Joel Taylor dead at 38
Former "Storm Chasers" star Joel Taylor has died at 38. Joel Taylor/Facebook

Timmer attended the University of Oklahoma with Taylor, who grew up in Elk City, west of Oklahoma City.

"I am shocked and absolutely devastated by the loss of my incredible, caring friend,'' Timmer wrote on Twitter. "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."

Another friend remembered Taylor's bright smile.

"Storm Chasers" ran for five seasons on Discovery Channel from 2007-12, following teams as they encountered severe weather across the blustery central U.S. region known as Tornado Alley.

Team Western OK Chaser, a storm-chasing group Taylor was part of, also mourned the loss with a touching message.

"He was one of the most level-headed chasers on the roads and truly a classy guy outside of chasing,'' the group wrote. "He didn’t chase for the glory, he chased because he had a true passion for storms."

Follow TODAY.com writer Scott Stump on Twitter.