This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Darrell Sheets was “terrified for his life” before his death, fellow “Storage Wars” star Laura Dotson claims.
The former reality star was 67 when he died on April 22 from an apparent suicide. Dotson, who appeared on “Storage Wars” as an auctioneer with husband Dan Dotson, spoke to Us Weekly about the alleged cyberbullying he’d been experiencing in the years leading up to his death.
“His family told us that this has been happening for three years,” Dotson said. “[It happens to] even strong men that you think aren’t gonna get their feelings hurt. Cyberbullying is a real thing. This made him feel less than, and it really obviously bothered him.
DARRELL SHEETS, ‘STORAGE WARS’ STAR KNOWN AS ‘THE GAMBLER,’ DEAD AT 67
“He was terrified for his life [and] for the people around him. He didn’t know why he was being targeted.”
On Wednesday, the Lake Havasu City Police Department in Arizona issued a press release which stated that it responded to a call for a deceased individual. Upon arrival, officers found a male with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Sheets was pronounced dead at the scene and his death is still under active investigation, according to the press release. His body was turned over to the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s office for further investigation. No additional details were shared at the time.
Shortly after the news of Sheets’ death, his “Storage Wars” co-star, Rene Nezhoda, uploaded a video to Instagram, claiming his friend was being cyberbullied online.
“Darrell has been posting a lot about the guy that’s been cyberbullying him and tormenting him, and I really hope [law enforcement] look into that guy, and it’s just not a pass,” Nezhoda said in the video.
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Sgt. Kyle Ridgway, public information officer for the Lake Havasu City Police Department, told Fox News Digital, “We are aware of these cyberbullying accusations, and that is a part of the active investigation.”
When speaking to Us Weekly about Sheets, Dotson explained, “He had other things also. His health and certain things that might have contributed to [his death]. Relationships, love interests and stuff that would go up and down, but [he] truly, truly was a wonderful, loving person who believed in God.”
She also recalled Sheets having a big reaction when a friend of his died by suicide. She recalled him saying, “I can’t believe anybody that could do that. They must have so much pain.
“So it was so hard for us to really believe that this happened,” she added.
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Sheets became famous as a main buyer on “Storage Wars,” a reality show that follows bidders competing to buy abandoned storage units. He appeared in over 160 episodes, starting in 2010.
Sheets earned the nickname “The Gambler” during his time on the show due to his high-risk bids on storage units. He appeared on the show with his son, Brandon Sheets.
According to Variety, Sheets suffered a heart attack in 2019 and retired from television and moved to Arizona. He owned and operated an antique store called Havasu Show Me Your Junk.
Fox News Digital’s Janelle Ash contributed to this report.
