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Our thoughts are with Barbara Corcoran.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Jun 17, 2019
On June 13, 2019, he was found dead in his hotel room in the Dominican Republic. And even though there were a few questions about the circumstances surrounding his death, especially given the multitude of other deaths that went on in the Dominican Republic at the same time, there was some clarity achieved shortly after his passing. How did Barbara Corcoran's brother die?
Let’s look at what we know about this unfortunate tragedy that befell the Shark Tank star’s family.
1. John Corcoran died in the Dominican Republic amidst a spate of deaths of American tourists.
According to Fox News, John Corcoran was vacationing in the Dominican Republic on what he called his “annual trip” when he passed away.
Barbara Corcoran, who is best known for her work on Shark Tank, confirmed her brother’s death through her assistant.
“John Corcoran passed away at the end of April in the DR from what is believed to be natural causes," Corcoran’s assistant said in a statement to Fox News. "He loved and frequently visited the Dominican Republic. Barbara would like to respect the privacy of his children and is not releasing any other information at this time."
2. Barbara Corcoran later mourned the death of her brother in an Instagram post.
According to CNN, while Barbara Corcoran refused to release too many details about her brother’s death out of respect for his family, she later memorialized him in an Instagram post.
“He loved the DR and vacationed there frequently. My brother had an existing heart condition and we believe he died of natural causes but you're still never ready for the death of a loved one," Corcoran said, according to the outlet.
3. John Corcoran had a pre-existing heart condition.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Barbara Corcoran also made clear that there was nothing “suspicious” about her brother’s death. Rather, he’d had a pre-existing heart condition and his death was ultimately ruled as one of “natural causes.”
“Corcoran previously told TMZ that 60-year-old John was found dead in his hotel room by his friend he was vacationing with, and that she was told he died of a heart attack. John — who was one of Corcoran's nine siblings — was retired after owning and operating a successful roofing company in New Jersey. According to the outlet, he was waiting on the arrival of his girlfriend in the Dominican Republic before he died,” reported the outlet.
4. What about those tourist deaths?
According to the New York Times, one of the reasons why the death of John Corcoran aroused so much suspicion was because it happened around the same time that six other tourists turned up dead under suspicious circumstances after vacationing in Punta Cana.
“The Dominican Attorney General’s office and the national police are investigating the deaths, but tourism officials have been downplaying them. The tourism minister, Francisco Javier García, said last week that in the last five years, more than 30 million tourists have visited the country, and that these deaths are “isolated incidents” and the island is safe for tourists,” reports the outlet.
Subsequently, it’s been reported that initial autopsy reports of the other Dominican Republic tourist deaths are “inconclusive.”
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.