'Shark Tank' Star Barbara Corcoran Speaks Out About Her Brother's Death

From Country Living

• Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran's brother passed away in the Dominican Republic in April.

• John Corcoran reportedly died of a heart attack.

• Barbara and her family have denied claims that John died from anything but "natural causes."

It was announced on Wednesday that the brother of Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran died in the Dominican Republic in April. The news comes in the wake of recent reports about the mysterious deaths of several other American tourists in Punta Cana-but the family of John Corcoran denies any claims that his is connected to the others.

People reported that John, 64, was on vacation with a friend when he had a heart attack and passed away.

"My father had a heart condition," Nichole Lande, John's daughter, told the publication. "So his death didn't come as a complete shock to us. Obviously, we didn't expect him to die, and we are devastated. But it’s just a coincidence that it happened in the Dominican Republic like those other deaths."

Nichole also explained that the circumstances surrounding her father's death were much different than the others that happened at resorts in Punta Cana: John was reportedly staying at a private home in a different city and "there was no minibar, no malfunctioning air conditioner."

"This isn’t a mystery to us," she said. "It’s just the sad loss of a father and grandfather who everyone is missing right now...We know what happened, and we have closure."

Barbara, who was cited by TMZ as saying her brother did not have an autopsy, also spoke out about John's death on Instagram.

"It's made it to the news by now that my dear brother John passed away in the Dominican Republic back in April," she wrote. "He loved the DR and vacationed there frequently."

The Shark Tank star's post went on to confirm that John "had an existing heart condition and we believe he died of natural causes."

"I'm overwhelmed with sadness for the lost lives in the DR and my thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones," Barbara wrote.

The U.S. State Department has confirmed six people have died while vacationing in Punta Cana since summer 2018.

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