On Tuesday, January 23, 2018, Discovery Channel Storm Chasers star Joel Taylor, 38, from Norman, Oklahoma died aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines cruise ship Harmony of the Seas while the cruise ship was near Puerto Rico. Taylor had just turned 38 earlier in January.
Harmony of the Seas embarked from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday, January 20 for a 7-night Atlantis all gay cruise. The cruise was a Atlantis private charter with 5400 passengers aboard. Cruise ship calls were at Labadee, Haiti, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Philipsburg, St Maarten.
According to those on the ship during the cruise, Taylor collapsed on the dance floor and was carried back to his cabin. According to Inside Edition, “Passengers on the Harmony of the Seas claimed they witnessed Taylor taking drugs, including ecstasy, GHB and cocaine, on the ship.”
Several people were allegedly arrested in Ft. Lauderdale for possession of drugs, and that was before the cruise took off. A representative for the cruise ship reported that law enforcement was alerted when Cruise Ship Captain Johnny Faevelen docked Harmony of the Seas in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Taylor was on Storm Chasers from the beginning in 2008 and was there for the entire 5-season run. Chasing storms was not just a TV thing for him; he was following storms long before the show aired, having studied meteorology in college.
According to the Atlantis Facebook page, “Atlantis reinvents the gay cruise in 2018 with a history-making cruise on the largest ship in the world – Harmony of the Seas. Bigger than ever for our 5400 guests from around the world. And more fun than you ever imagined with a non-stop festival of spectacular performers, legendary DJs, incomparable parties, thrilling activities, and so much more. There’s never been a gay cruise like this! Sailing from Fort Lauderdale on January 20, 2018 for 7 nights of heaven taking in 3 sultry Caribbean islands and leisurely days cruising at sea.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigation the cruise ship death.
This case have been added to the Cruise Ship Deaths website database.
Article Resources:
- Harmony of the Seas Cruise Ship Schedule
- Harmony of the Seas Cruise Ship Tracker
- Atlantis Events Gay Cruise Facebook page
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Video: Storm Chasers’ Star Joel Taylor Dies at 38 Aboard Cruise Ship
