Every Deadliest Catch cast member who has died, from Phil Harris to Todd Meadows
Deadliest Catch has been documenting Bering Sea crab fishing on Discovery since 2005, and across more than two decades the series has lost cast and crew both at sea and back on land. Notably, only three of those deaths happened during active production on the water — Phil Harris, Todd Kochutin, and Todd Meadows. Here is every loss, starting with the most recent.
Todd Meadows — the newest loss
Todd Meadows, a 25-year-old deckhand on the Aleutian Lady, fell overboard on 25 February 2026 while crab fishing roughly 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor. The crew pulled him from the water within about ten minutes, but he couldn't be revived. His death certificate recorded drowning with probable hypothermia, and the manner of death was ruled an accident. Cameras were rolling; his family asked Discovery not to air the footage, and the season 22 premiere on 8 May 2026 instead carried a brief tribute.
"Todd was the newest member of our crew, he quickly became family," Captain Rick Shelford wrote on Facebook in February 2026.
Meadows left behind a wife and three young sons, for whom a GoFundMe has raised over $62,000.
Phil Harris — the show's first great loss
Captain Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie was one of the series' original breakout stars. On 29 January 2010, while offloading crab at Saint Paul Island during season 6 filming, he suffered a massive stroke in his cabin. He was airlifted to Anchorage, regained consciousness long enough to say goodbye to his sons Josh and Jake, and died on 9 February 2010, aged 53.
At his own insistence, cameras kept filming — and the tribute episode drew 5.4 million viewers.
Everyone else the show has lost
- Justin Tennison (2011) — Time Bandit deckhand, died in February 2011 from complications of sleep apnoea.
- Tony Lara (2015) — former Cornelia Marie captain, died of a heart attack in his sleep in August 2015, aged 50.
- Blake Painter (2018) — former Maverick captain, found dead in May 2018 at 38; an accidental drug overdose.
- Mahlon Reyes (2020) — deckhand, suffered a fatal heart attack in July 2020 at 38; toxicology later linked it to an accidental cocaine overdose.
- Nick McGlashan (2020) — Summer Bay deck boss and seventh-generation fisherman, died of a drug overdose in Nashville on 27 December 2020, aged 33.
- Todd Kochutin (2021) — Patricia Lee deckhand, died on 26 February 2021, aged 30, from injuries sustained on board — reportedly struck by a crab pot.
- Ross Jones (2022) — Saga crew member, died in June 2022; his family kept the details private.
- Tom Brossard (2024) — Saga engineer, died of a heart attack in January 2024, aged 64.
- Nick Mavar (2024) — longtime Northwestern deckhand and Sig Hansen's right-hand man across nearly 100 episodes, died of a heart attack on 13 June 2024 in a Naknek, Alaska boatyard, aged 59.
Most of these deaths happened on land, between seasons — heart attacks, overdoses, the toll of the job catching up. The sea itself has claimed comparatively few, but when it does, it does so in minutes.
For the record: the show's title was never marketing. Alaskan crab fishing has long ranked among the deadliest jobs in the world — and 21 seasons in, that hasn't changed.