Cause of death for Shain Gandee was carbon monoxide

Authorities confirmed on Tuesday that reality star Shain Gandee and his two off-road passengers died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. Gandee, 21, was the popular star of MTV's "Buckwild," a reality show about West Virginia teens that premiered in January.

The three victims were found dead in Gandee's Ford Bronco in rural Sissonville, W. Va., following an apparent off-road driving incident. Authorities said the exhaust pipe of the truck got stuck in the mud which carried the deadly poison into the cab.

All three, including Shain's uncle David Gandee, 48, and friend Donald Myers, 27, were found in the truck and no foul play was suspected. The Gandees had last been seen early Sunday morning at a local bar where they shared plans to go four-wheeling in Shain's truck.

Family and friends had begun searching for the three on Sunday and local authorities say it was a friend who eventually spotted the truck on Monday morning. The accident site is in an area rough enough that search personnel used ATV vehicles to navigate the terrain.

A spokesperson for MTV said in part, "We are shocked and saddened by the terrible news about Shain Gandee, and those involved in this tragic incident... Shain had a magnetic personality, with a passion for life that touched everyone he met and we will miss him dearly."

True to the down-home personality that his fans loved, Gandee passed away while engaged in one of his greatest passions, off-road driving.