Celebrity5 min(s) read
Published 12:05 04 May 2026 GMT
The son of Storage Wars star Darrell Sheets has broken his silence following his father's sudden death, paying an emotional tribute to the man he says he plans to honour with the rest of his life.
Brandon Sheets, who appeared alongside his father on the long-running A&E reality series under the nickname 'Sidebet,' shared a heartfelt message on Instagram on Thursday (April 30) - just over a week after Darrell Sheets was found dead at his home in Arizona at the age of 67.
He posted a second tribute on Saturday (May 2), simply captioned: "Missing you hard today Dad."
Sharing a photo of himself and his late father wearing Medieval Times crowns, Brandon wrote: "My heart is so broken….I love you Dad and I will do my best to live in your honor and respect our Family.
"Let's all continue to build those memories and keep the legacy that is 'Darrell (The Gambler) Sheets.'"
He went on to acknowledge that he wasn't ready to discuss the circumstances of his father's death just yet.
"I cant answer everyone's questions or concerns right now, I think we all just need time to process and remember all the good that my Father was and will continue to be through my Son and I."
He concluded the post: "The love we all have for this man and all his kindness is only a small portion of who he truly is."
The post was quickly flooded with messages of support from his father's former Storage Wars co-stars.
"I'm truly so sorry for the incredibly painful loss that you and your family have to endure," wrote Brandi Passante.
"Sending you love and hugs from afar."
Passante, who had previously shared an emotional tribute to her former co-star, was one of several Storage Wars alumni to publicly respond to Brandon's post.
Darrell's ex-wife Kimber Wuerfel, Brandon's mother, also paid her own tribute on Instagram on the same day. "Darrell gave us so many moments of laughter, connection, and life," she wrote.
"May the memories you hold of him stay close to your heart, as mine will stay with me forever."
Darrell Sheets was found dead at his home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, in the early hours of April 22.
According to the Lake Havasu City Police Department, officers responded to a call at around 2am and found Sheets dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
His body was turned over to the Mohave County Medical Examiner's Office for further examination.
His cause of death has since been confirmed as suicide, although the wider investigation remains active.
Sheets, who had retired from Storage Wars in 2023 after 13 years and 163 episodes, had been open about his health struggles in the years before his death, including a heart attack and congestive heart failure in 2019.
He had moved to Arizona after retiring from the show and was running an antique shop, Havasu Show Me Your Junk, in the years leading up to his death.
Following his death, Sheets's close friend and Storage Wars co-star René Nezhoda made public allegations that Sheets had been the target of relentless cyberbullying in the months before his death.
In an emotional Instagram tribute, Nezhoda said Sheets had been 'tormented' online by an individual in the period leading up to his death.
"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.
Co-star Laura Dotson went further in a separate interview with Us Weekly, saying Sheets had been 'terrified for his life' for years.
"His family told us that this has been happening for three years," Dotson said. "Cyberbullying is a real thing. This made him feel less than, and it really obviously bothered him."
Sergeant Kyle Ridgway, public information officer for the Lake Havasu City Police Department, told Page Six that authorities are 'aware of these cyberbullying accusations' and confirmed they form 'a part of the active investigation' into Sheets's death.
Around a month before his death, Sheets had publicly identified the person he believed was behind the harassment, accusing the individual of also targeting other small businesses in his Arizona town.
Storage Wars was in the middle of airing its current season when Sheets died.
While he hadn't appeared in the latest episodes, A&E paid tribute to him with an in-memoriam card during the April 25 broadcast of Back to the Locker.
In a statement to Us Weekly, an A&E spokesperson said: "We are saddened by the passing of a beloved member of our Storage Wars family, Darrell 'The Gambler' Sheets.
"Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time."
Sheets is survived by his son Brandon, his daughter Tiffany, his ex-wife Kimber, and his grandchildren.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available. In the US, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In the UK, you can call Samaritans on 116 123.
