“Storage Wars” star Rene Nezhoda is speaking out following the death of his fellow cast member, Darrell Sheets. Nezhoda, 49, is urging fans to take online harassment seriously, alleging that Sheets was relentlessly targeted by cyberbullies before his death.
Sheets, who appeared on 163 episodes of the A&E series and was known as “The Gambler,” was found dead at his home in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., at approximately 2 a.m. on April 22, 2026. He was 67. The Lake Havasu City Police Department confirmed that he died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Following Sheets’ death, an old social media post from 2018 resurfaced in which he opened up about depression. On June 21, 2018, Sheets shared a candid message about the illness on Instagram.
“Depression is the Devil’s way of attacking us; it knows no mercy, it takes our smiles, it comes and goes, it ruins our relationships, it takes away our happiness, it leads to suicide in some cases, it destroys all thoughts of positivity, it is a 24/7 battle and allows no rest for the suffering,” the now-deceased star wrote.
“So please next time someone tells you they have depression, be kind and know that they spend every minute they have breathing suffering!!!,” he added.
Nezhoda paid tribute to Sheets in a nearly two-minute Instagram video, captioning the post, “RIP [Darrell]! Our prayers are with you and your family! It’s been an honor to share the stage with you [for] the last 15 years!” In the video, Nezhoda alleged that Sheets had been struggling with online harassment and called out a specific individual he said had been targeting his late co-star.
“This is not an easy video to shoot. Unfortunately, Darrell Sheets took his own life. So he passed away,” Nezhoda said. Nezhoda also took care to clarify the nature of their relationship, saying that despite their on-screen rivalry, they were close friends off camera.
”I know a lot of you guys think we hated each other because we competed a lot on the show and, you know, we had our moments, we had our run-ins, but that’s because we were both competitors … We’re the biggest threat out there. So deep down, [Darrell and I] were friends,” Nezhoda said.
He remembered Sheets as someone who was deeply devoted to the people in his life. “He is a very hard worker that cared more than anyone I’ve probably ever met about their family, about his son, about Zoie, pretty much people in his life,” Nezhoda said.
Nezhoda then revealed that a specific individual had been tormenting his co-star online and urged his followers to reject cyberbullying. “So he had a guy, like, really, really tormenting him lately on cyberbullying. Guys, just because you watch us on television doesn’t mean you know us. It doesn’t mean you know what we’re about. Also, it doesn’t entitle you to bully somebody!” Nezhoda said.
“You shouldn’t cyberbully at all. As a matter of fact, if you have somebody in your life that thinks it’s funny to cyberbully other people — may that be a celebrity, athlete, or little girl at school or a schoolmate — make them become a better human being,” he added. “Because you never know what demons somebody faces and what they go through and what you might push them through.”
Sheets had, in fact, publicly named his alleged cyberbully. In a Facebook post on March 11, 2026, Sheets named a person he said was his cyberbully and stalker, alleging that the individual had been impersonating him online, harassing small businesses in Lake Havasu City and doing so for approximately three years. Nezhoda closed the video by calling on authorities to look into the individual, who he said had been harassing Sheets. The Lake Havasu City Police Department has since confirmed it is aware of the cyberbullying allegations, with a spokesperson stating that the claims are “a part of the active investigation.”
Sheets is survived by his ex-wife, Kimber Wuerfel, his two children, Brandon and Tiffany, and a granddaughter, Zoie.