Storm Chasers' Matt Hughes Dies at 30

Matt Hughes, a longtime meteorologist who starred on Discovery's Storm Chasers, has died. He was 30.
Hughes died May 26 in Wichita, Kan., but his death wasn't made public until Wednesday's episode of Storm Chasers, which was dedicated in his memory.
His death was unrelated to his often dangerous job. In a June 7 blog post titled "R.I.P. Matt" on Wichita's ABC affiliate KAKE-TV's website, Aaron Blaser, a former colleague and friend of Hughes, wrote that Hughes had tried to commit suicide.

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"[Hughes] was taken to the hospital after trying to take his life," Blaser wrote. "Matt was in the hospital for several days in intensive care, there was a 24 hour vigil outside the waiting room, family, other chasers, business associates, etc. I spent quite a bit of time bouncing from work to the hospital and back again...hoping for the best, comforting others, but several days later, after serious complications arose, I knew we were going to lose him. ... What a lot of us didn't know was that he suffered from depression."Blaser did not reveal the cause of death, but wrote that "there was never any illegal activity," attributing Hughes' suicide attempt to "an accumulation of issues at home" that were mounting. He said more than 500 people attended the funeral.

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Wednesday's episode — titled "Dedication" — detailed Hughes' final chase."Matt's been asking for more control all year long," team leader Sean Casey said at the beginning of the episode. Hughes then led the team on what Discovery calls the "best tornado intercept ever."Hughes is survived by his wife, Kendra, and two sons, Hunter and Collin.