Tim Samaras, star of Discovery's Storm Chasers was among the nine people killed when a second tornado struck Oklahoma.
Us Weekly reports that relatives of Samaras informed CNN of their loss. Samaras' son Paul and Carl Young were also killed in the storm.
Tim's brother Jim posted a message of gratitude to fans on Facebook saying, “Thank you to everyone for the condolences. It truly is sad that we lost my great brother Tim and his great son, Paul. Our hearts also go out to the Carl Young family as well, as they are feeling the same feelings we are today," he added. "They all unfortunately passed away but doing what they LOVED. Chasing tornadoes. I look at it that he is in the 'big tornado in the sky...'"
Chad Meyers, a CNN meteorologists explained to CNN that his Tim was constantly focused on safety despite the hazards of the job.
"We all know that this is difficult and dangerous and sometimes things go wrong. But I think to portray Tim as just a chaser out for a thrill is just the wrong thing," Myers said. "I just want people to know that Tim was a scientist. He was out there to put probes out there. He was out there to learn and understand and to make science more understandable. ... We all go out there and we try to protect the public, but Tim was even one step higher."
Tim was honored with a handful of grants from National Geographic Society for his work in research.
Image: Tim Samaras Facebook
