The mysterious death of storm-chaser Matt Hughes: Did daredevil TV star commit suicide?



Troubled: One colleague said Matt Hughes died as a result of injuries sustained during a suicide attempt

The death of storm-chaser Matt Hughes was today at the centre of intense speculation.



Many fans only found out the 30-year-old presenter had passed away at the end of Wednesday's episode of the Discovery series in which he starred.

Hughes, who has a wife Kenda and two sons Collin and Hunter, actually died on May 26.

He was not killed in the course of chasing storms - an obsession he had pursued for 15 years - but after suffering a fatal injury at his home.

There were today reports that Hughes's death was due to complications from a failed attempt to kill himself.

Aaron Blaser, a meterologist who had worked with Hughes for many years, claimed he had tried to kill himself on May 14.

In a blog titled 'RIP Matt', Blaser described how he was taken to hospital and spent several days in intensive care.

'There was a 24 hour vigil outside the waiting room, family, other chasers, business associates, etc,' he wrote.

'I knew we were going to lose him. What a lot of us didn’t know was that he suffered from depression.

'While the professional side of Matt was going fine, his personal life was nothing but.

'I won't go into specifics here, but there was never any illegal activity, but an accumulation of issues at home were mounting, and he kept it to himself until the end.'

Pioneer: Hughes with one of the vehicles he used to chase storms. His daredevil antics captivated millions of people

He went on: 'His friends, and I, will never know what he was truly thinking, will never know if there was something we could've done, will never know if anything could've been done.'

Blaser said around 500 people had attended Blaser's funeral which was held in Wichita.

A Kansas native, Hughes's highly dangerous hobby had propelled him to stardom.

It is estimated he had seen around 100 tornadoes in the 15 years he had been following storms.

Wednesday's episode of the Discovery series Storm Chasers was entitled Dedication and featured his final assignment .

Last programme: Matt Hughes's final Storm Chasers was dedicated to his memory. He died shortly after filming the final sequence

Producers described it as the 'best tornado intercept ever'.

Discovery Channel has set up a memorial fund for Hughes's two sons.

The presenter began working on the hit show as a spotter for veteran Sean Casey.