Mark Balelo, an auction house owner featured on the A&E reality TV show "Storage Wars," was found dead on Feb. 11, The Ventura County Star reported. He was 40.
Balelo was one of the deep-pocketed buyers featured on the show that depicts storage-unit auctions. The former owner of a chain of thrift stores, Balelo had a knack for finding treasure among trash.
Nicknamed "Rico Suave" for his flamboyant style, Balelo once hosted a live auction right before Halloween while dressed as Superman. He discovered a "man purse" that contained $50,000. He also was instrumental in helping Nicolas Cage recover a mint-condition copy of a 1938 Action Comics book that was stolen from the actor's storage locker. The comic book was valued at $1 million.
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