Storm Chasers star Matt killed himself in May

A star of Discovery’s Storm Chasers killed himself in May, but Matt Hughes’ death was made public on last night’s episode of the show. He served as a meteorologist and forecaster for Sean Casey’s team.

On its web site, Discovery says that Matt, “a featured meteorologist on Storm Chasers passed away on May 26th, 2010 in Wichita, Kansas due to an injury unrelated to his chasing activities. Sean, Reed, Tim and everyone involved in Storm Chasers mourn the loss of their friend and colleague.” Last night’s episode featured “Matt’s incredible last chase, and is dedicated to his memory,” the network said.

TMZ reports that last May 14, police “responded to a suicide call at Hughes’ home. According to the police report, officers concluded Matt, who was still breathing, was drinking before the suicide attempt,” and while he was hospitalized, he died “13 days later. The Medical Examiner’s report lists ‘Hanging’ as the cause of death.”

A June blog post on KAKE’s web site (via Popeater) memorialized Matt and said Matt “was taken to the hospital after trying to take his life” and adds that “there was never any illegal activity, but an accumulation of issues at home were mounting, and he kept it to himself until the end.”