'Storm Chasers' Star Matt Hughes Dead at 30

By Zach Dionne Posted Nov 4th 2010 10:13AM

Veteran meteorologist Matt Hughes, a star on Discovery Channel's 'Storm Chasers,' was memorialized in his final episode on Nov. 3. He died on May 26 in Wichita, Kansas, at 30 years old. Many fans only learned of his death when the episode aired.

The installment, titled 'Dedication,' detailed Hughes' final storm chase. Hughes is survived by his wife, Kendra, and two sons, Collin and Hunter. A June 7 blog post from Wichita's ABC affiliate KAKE-TV, written by Hughes' friend and former colleague, reads: "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."

"Matt has had a life-long fascination with extreme weather," reads a Discovery Channel biography of Hughes. "Last year, Matt forecasted for the TIV team in the follow vehicle, Doghouse. This season, Matt is out of the Doghouse and in the navigation seat of the TIV, hoping to guide Sean to a perfect tornado intercept."

"Matt's been asking for more control all year long," Sean Casey, leader of the storm-chasing TIV team, said at the episode's beginning. The rest of the show detailed Hughes' leadership on what Discovery Channel dubbed the show's "best tornado intercept ever."

According to the KAKE blog post, more than 500 people attended Hughes' funeral. "Matt was a young, vibrant, and resourceful man," wrote reporter Aaron Blaser. "One who embodies the passion everyone should have doing something they love. He would do anything for anyone, would try to make everyone happy, would try to do a good job for someone ... and would never ask for anything in return."

A larger sample of Hughes' 'Storm Chasers' bio reads:

Growing up in the heart of Tornado Alley, he was able to witness severe storms from an early age. This passion has yielded Matt nearly two decades worth of storm chasing expertise. In addition to chasing with the TIV team, Matt chases for a Wichita news affiliate, and regularly contributes to the nationally syndicated radio show The Storm Report.

Discovery established a memorial fund to benefit Hughes' young sons. According to Zap2It, upcoming episodes of the series will show the team mourning the loss of their colleague.

See a preview of Hughes' final episode, with footage of his triumphant tornado interception:

Tags: Discovery Channel, Matt Hughes, Storm Chasers

Comments

(56)

Thursday 04 November

By Heather

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Heartless b!+(#. Spend one day with severe depression, and I bet you'll keep your mouth shut next time. Depression is a disease that can make you want to die more than live with the pain, and I would never wish that on anyone. I am sorry that this man was not able to get the help he needed in time, especially because of the pain this will cause his family. I pray they are stonger than he was, and they do not suffer his fate. I am not for suicide, except where life is so physically bad that you no longer have any joy of life. This man needed professional help, and you need to grow up live more than 17 years to learn not to judge what you don't understand.

Saturday 06 November

By K-dizzle

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Please go kill yourself, Melanie.

By milliebsp

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Maybe you need to update JAVA?

By cathy rohrscheib

melanie ... you are not selfish to take your life noone knows
your feelings. even if it hurts your family ext. if a person is hurting do you want them to suffer. if they feel this is better then give them understanding an remember them happy.we dont know why they did it. or if you do then again understand

By Jimmy

When you are severely depressed, you don't think about anyone or anything else. That's a fact.

By fredhetz

There is much to what you say and I don't think a lot of people understand how badly feeling bad for a prolonged period of time can alter how you see things. It gets very hard to function. People criticizing this guy just don't get it.

By Sekinu2

You have no clue do you. Deep manic depression isnt something you just cure. Meds, interventions, counseling do not fix it. I have suffered from depression for more then 20 years and everyday is a fight for your life. Your own mind is your worse enemy and you can't just convince a broken mind its better. Know about what you say before you do so you don't sound like such and idiot.

By TDHdz

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Obviously the show will not be the same. Sean Casey should take this as a lesson that behaving as though you are better than everyone else can negatively affect others. Only one person remains with the TIV team that is a true chaser at heart. As for Reed's team...SELL OUTS! For ratings and endorsements, Reed has stepped on 1/3 of his team just to impress someone out to sell herself out...and Discovery allowed this Ginger Zee mess just for ratings. This show doesn't have much of a future now that they have all allowed the fame to make them lose sight of the actual chase.

By Sandra

What a selfish thing to do to your wife and kids. I have dealt many times with severe depression, so don't say I am "heartless" or "you don't know". Even in the darkest times, I would never do this to my husband or especially not to my children. What a horrible legacy to leave. Suicide is a permanant solution to a temporary problem. Praying for his family as they will be dealing with this blow the rest of their lives.

By forestcats

So what you want a gold star or a medal because you haven't offed yourself? You are judging another human wrought with frailty and life agony as wrong because obviously YOU are the litmus test for sanity? I pity your family because it is always all about you, and your being 'more' correct than the world.

The problem with what you're saying is that when you are in terrible emotional pain for a long period of time, it doesn't feel like a temporary problem. It feels like things are as good as they're going to get and that they're awful. I really encourage people to research these things so they understand them better. There's so much anger born of ignorance.

I did not say or imply that I am the "litmus test for sanity" or I am "more correct than the world", nor am I judging this man when I say it's selfish. To put what you want before others IS selfish. And no need to feel sorry for my family as nothing that I do is ever "all about me". As my post clearly stated, that is why I would never kill myself is because I wouldn't do that to my family.

I know the terrible hopelessness that you struggle with when you feel you have no other option. My heart breaks for the agony that others go through dealing with the same thing from knowing that. I don't think I am better than anyone.

By Amy

And who made you the moral police? Geez I hope you aren't in the healthcare profession-empathetic/sympathetic you aren't. He was on a well known tv show-and what have YOU done that is so damn special? You need to hook up with Tom Cruise-as I recall he trashed poor Brooke Shields about her postpartum depression-its an illness-dummy-yes he could have gotten help-he probably tried to deal with the best he could. Quit being so judgemental-his kids don't have a father-they don't need you telling them they're "cursed"

By Justacomment

How dare any of you talk about his death as selfish, your depression and how your better than him! I also was diaginosed in 1989 with manic depression and have my trials , hospitalization regrets etc . As far as "you know it all's "that talk abut all the medications and help available you obviously haven't never been caught up in the mental health roller coaster! That is like asking why do people have diabetes when all they have to do is watch what they eat and lose weight. Or why do people still have heart attacks with all the information available? I will pray for you and your ignorance!

By D4Giver

I can't believe in this day and age people can be so judgemental. Try walking in the shoes of someone who is severely depressed. I walk in those shoes every day. You can't believe how hard it can really be to live. The one thing you can't do is live for family and friends. You need to do it for yourself to live to fight and say I did it for me! So please pray for his family and friends. But don't call him a coward or selfish he was and is a human being!

You are correct that those judging are lost in their own baffle of manure. Judges wrongly perceive themselves to have more power and morality ergo superior to everyone else and want a gold star on their forehead.

By sarah

amen!

By EW

Cowardly? If you have been successful at beating depression, then good for you, but not everybody wins the fight. "I was able to do it, so you should too." is the height of arrogance. Maybe if your severe depression returns, you will learn to be humble. You have no idea what this man was going through. Don't use your life as a measure of his.

Friday 05 November

By Dan

I pity you.

You faced your depression. He chased storms that probably would have caused you great fear. Maybe your bravery just manifests in a different way than his did.

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