Tim Samaras and Carl Young, stars of the former Discovery
Channel series Storm Chasers, and Samaras' son Paul were killed during a
tornado in El Reno, Okla., on Friday.
"We're heartbroken by the loss of @Tim_Samaras,
son Paul & Carl Young and all those lost in Friday's storm in
Oklahoma," the company wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
Storm Chasers ran for five seasons on Discovery from
2007-2011 and followed several teams of storm chasers as they attempted to intercept
tornadoes. The trio were doing field work in Oklahoma at the time of their death and not shooting for a TV series.
Tim Samaras was also the recipient of 18 grants from the
National Geographic Society, who also issued a statement on his death on
Sunday.
"We were shocked and deeply saddened by the
news that longtime National Geographic grantee Tim Samaras was killed in a
tornado in Oklahoma on Friday, along with Tim's son Paul and their colleague
Carl Young. Tim was a courageous and brilliant scientist who fearlessly pursued
tornadoes and lightning in the field in an effort to better understand these
phenomena," said Terry Garcia, executive VP of NGS. "Though we
sometimes take it for granted, Tim's death is a stark reminder of the risks
encountered regularly by the men and women who work for us. This is an enormous
loss for his family, his wide circle of friends and colleagues and National
Geographic."
