tributes

Storm Chasers Inspired by Twister Paid a Grand Tribute to Bill Paxton

Photo: Universal Studios

At 61, Bill Paxton, who passed away on Saturday due to complications from surgery, had a long and diverse résumé after spending more than four decades in front of the camera. He appeared in massive movies like Aliens, The Terminator, Titanic, and Apollo 13, and was a beloved character actor in nearly 100 other roles. But despite the fact that Paxton worked frequently with titans like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, it was director Jan de Bont and his 1996 movie Twister that gave the actor one of his most enduring characters. As Bill “The Extreme” Harding, Paxton ended up shining a light on the storm-chasing community in a way no one ever really had before, and for his efforts, weather trackers in Tornado Alley have organized a tribute to the recently departed performer. Gizmodo reports that Spotter Network — a collective of “storm spotters, storm chasers, coordinators and public servants” that pools together information on severe weather — is honoring Paxton’s death by setting up a list of GPS coordinates across Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas for chasers to check in at that would spell out the letters BP when viewed on a map. Near the center of the formation, you’ll find Wakita, Oklahoma, where the F4 tornado ripped through and wiped out Aunt May’s house near the climactic point of Twister.

Storm Chasers Inspired by Twister Pay Tribute to Bill Paxton