Steve “Hurricane” Mostyn (full name John Steven Mostyn), a Houston, Texas-based trial lawyer, contributor to left-wing causes, member of the George Soros-founded Democracy Alliance, and major Democratic Party benefactor, died suddenly November 15 at the age of 46.

Mr. Mostyn committed suicide after battling mental health problems, according to his wife, Amber Mostyn.

“Steve was a beloved husband and devoted father who adored his children and never missed any of their sporting activities,” Mrs. Mostyn said in a prepared statement. “He was a true friend, and a faithful fighter for those who did not have a voice.”

Mostyn’s unexpected death came on the first day of a four-day Democracy Alliance planning session in California. The Democracy Alliance is a donors’ collaborative whose members secretly fund left-wing political infrastructure projects, such as think tanks, leadership institutes, and activist groups. The Democracy Alliance was founded in 2005 by disappointed campaign donors after Democrat John Kerry failed the year before to defeat Republican President George W. Bush, despite polling that pointed to a Kerry win.

Dr. Jonathan M. Hanen examined Mr. Mostyn’s activism in the November 2014 issue of Foundation Watch.

As Hanen wrote,

When Hurricane Rita swept through Texas in 2005, Mostyn and his law firm aggressively snapped up the cases of homeowners who believed their insurance companies had underpaid them for damages. Mostyn quickly became the premier hurricane lawyer in the Lone Star State, filing 1,200 Rita claims. His strategy was to flood the zone, filing such a torrent of cases that insurance companies would be overwhelmed and decide to settle instead of litigate.

Hanen added,

In 2012, the Mostyns bounded onto the national stage and have been ranked as high as fifth on the list of top donors to outside groups that supported President Obama’s re-election. […] The Mostyns’ largest single donation in 2012 was their $3 million gift to Priorities USA Action, a super PAC[.]

According to Forbes, Mr. Mostyn gave $1 million to Hillary Clinton’s super PAC during the 2016 presidential election cycle. The Mostyns also “hosted a fundraiser for Clinton where guests paid $2,700 per person to attend the event and be photographed with the former Secretary of State.”

The Mostyns maintain the Houston-based Mostyn Moreno Foundation, which was founded in 2006. According to its website, the foundation “supports, promotes and operates programs, projects, and collaborative efforts in Texas, primarily in Houston and the Gulf Coast region, that serve to encourage the abilities of children with special needs.”