Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Storage Wars star Darrell Sheets has died at age 67 - and his co-star has hit out at a cyberbully who 'tormented' him before his death.
As per PEOPLE Magazine, the TV star, who appeared on more than a hundred episodes of the A&E American reality show between 2010 to 2023, was found in Lake Havasu City from an apparent suicide at around 2am on Wednesday, 22 April, local authorities confirmed.
Police said that he suffered what 'appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,' was pronounced deceased on scene and his body has been turned over to the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s office for further investigation.
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Storage Wars follows professional buyers who compete to bid on storage lockers, and Sheets had earned the nickname 'The Gambler' on the show for his risky purchases.
The tributes have been pouring in since his tragic death, including from his on-screen rival René Nezhoda, who claims he was 'tormented' by a cyberbully.
He took to Instagram after the news broke to share a video reflecting on their relationship.
Nezhoda said, “This was not an easy video to shoot. Unfortunately, Darrell Sheets took his own life. So he passed away. I know a lot of you guys think we hated each other because we competed a lot on the show. And you know, we had our moments.
"We had our run-ins because we were both competitors, right? We were both competitors with the biggest threat out there."
However, he emphasised that the pair actually developed a friendship over the years, behind the scenes.
He explained: “So deep down me and Darrell were friends, we talked every now and then. He was a very hard worker that cared more than anyone I’ve ever met about their family, about his son, about Zoe [his granddaughter], pretty much [all the] people in his life."
The reality TV star continued: "Rest in peace Darrell Sheets. Also I know Darrell would want something positive out of this, so he had a guy that [was] really really tormenting him lately. Cyberbullying."
He urged, "Guys, just because you watch us on television, doesn’t mean you know us. It doesn’t mean you know what we’re about. Also, it doesn’t entitle you to bully somebody. That’s not [just] us, that’s anybody. That’s any athlete. You shouldn’t cyberbully at all.
"As a matter of fact, if you have somebody in your life that thinks it’s funny to cyberbully other people, may that be a celebrity, athlete or little girl at school… slap ’em in the back of the head. Make them become a better human being."
Nezhoda reminded people that you 'never know what demons somebody faces and what they go through and what you might push them through' before explaining that Darrell had been posting a lot 'about the guy that has been cyberbullying and torturing him'.
He added, "I really hope they look into that guy, and that’s just not a pass. It’s just not right guys. Be better."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https://harmless.org.uk.
Topics: Reality TV, Mental Health, News, World News, US News
Madison Burgess