Storm Chasers star Matt Hughes died May 26 in Kansas at 30 — but the news was not widely publicized until his last episode aired on the Discovery Channel Wednesday night.
Hughes, who also worked as a meteorologist on Wichita’s ABC affiliate KAKE-TV, committed suicide. He is survived by his wife, Kendra, and two sons, Collin and Hunter. More than 500 people attended his funeral.
Hughes’ friend and former colleague wrote on KAKE-TV’s website in June: “Matt Hughes was taken to the hospital after trying to take his life. 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 knew we were going to lose him. What a lot of us didn’t know was that he suffered from depression.”
Hughes’ episode, entitled “Dedication,” followed him on his final storm chase. Discovery called it the “best tornado intercept ever.”
