Barbara Corcoran's brother found dead in Dominican Republic

Note: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that John Corcoran died in a private house and not a hotel.

Businesswoman and "Shark Tank" investor Barbara Corcoran recently revealed that her brother died in the Dominican Republic, TMZ reports.

John Corcoran, a retiree who owned a roofing company in New Jersey, was purportedly vacationing on the island in April when a friend found him unresponsive in a private home. At the time, John was waiting for his girlfriend to arrive, the outlet said.

Barbara told TMZ that she learned that her brother died of a heart attack, although no autopsy has been performed. The television personality added that, of her nine siblings, John was her "favorite brother" and had a larger-than-life personality. A representative for Barbara later confirmed John's death to NBC News.

Details surrounding John's death are scant. Since last year, several American tourists on the Caribbean island have suddenly fallen ill and passed away.

On June 23, 2018, Pennsylvania woman Yvonne Monique Sport was on vacation with her fiancé at the Bahia Principe in Punta Cana when she failed to wake up. Sport had allegedly drunk from the minibar the night before. Officials subsequently determined that she died of a heart attack, even though her sister Felecia Nieves has claimed that Sport was healthy before her passing.

Less than a month later, on July 14, David Harrison of Maryland died suddenly at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort after telling his wife Dawn McCoy that he was sick the night before. McCoy said her husband couldn't breathe and "was sweating profusely" before he passed. Authorities claimed that Harrison ultimately died of a heart attack and pulmonary edema.

In more recent months, reports of troubling incidents at Dominican resorts have continued to surface.

On April 10, Robert Wallace of California arrived at the same hotel Harrison stayed at to attend his stepson's wedding. He supposedly fell ill the next day after he drank scotch from his room's minibar. Despite attempts by the hotel doctor and a local hospital to save him, Wallace died on April 14. Relatives said they are now waiting to receive his toxicology report.

Last month, on May 25, Pennsylvania psychotherapist Miranda Schaup-Werner died at the Bahia Principe Bouganville in La Romana. A spokesperson for the woman and her husband said that Schaup-Werner collapsed after having a drink in her room. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate her but failed to do so. Like Harrison, Schaup-Werner reportedly died of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema, although the spokesperson has since accused officials and the hotel of misleading the public about her death.

Five days after Schaup-Werner's passing, on May 30, Maryland couple Edward Nathaniel Holmes and Cynthia Day were found dead in their room at the Bahia Principe La Romana after they failed to check out of the hotel. Authorities said at the time that they discovered medication for high blood pressure. Police eventually came to the conclusion that the couple had also died of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema.