Deadliest Catch Star Phil Harris dies following Stroke

[DeToxRox]

Sad as he seemed like a good guy, just had too many issues with the smoking, stress and weight it seems like.


'Deadliest Catch' Star Dies

Posted Feb 10th 2010 12:09AM by TMZ Staff

Captain Phil Harris -- star of Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch" -- died about an hour ago ... sources tell TMZ.

Harris was hospitalized a few weeks ago after suffering a stroke while unloading crabs. He had been doing better until the sudden turn.

Captain Harris died in a hospital in Alaska. He was 53.

Harris' kids, Jake and Josh, tell TMZ, "It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad, Captain Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down. We will remember and celebrate that strength. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers."

Story developing

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sad stuff, hate to hear it.

[DeToxRox]

Sad stuff, hate to hear it.

Yep. He was always the guy I seemed to "root" for if you will. You could tell he loved being out there especially with his kids. Really a shame.

[Lathum]

Wow, pretty crazy. He is from the area I live in and this has been followed pretty closely, looked like he was doing better.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I'm sure this will all be played out again in the coming months on the series, as the Discovery Channel was filming the crab season when all of this went down.

[Samdari]

That is horrible. He was my favorite "character" from the show. "crab farts" is easily the most important scientific theory to arise in the early 21st century.

[JPhillips]

That's too bad. I wonder if any of the other captains get out of the business after this. I'm not sure I've ever seen a group of men living less healthy lifestyles.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

That's too bad. I wonder if any of the other captains get out of the business after this. I'm not sure I've ever seen a group of men living less healthy lifestyles.

The job by nature isn't that bad for you. Though they eat a lot, they burn thousands of calories a day on deck. The real issue for many of them is the smoking. A smoke-free boat wouldn't be nearly as bad. But unfortunately, a boat full of smokers appears to be the norm.

[JPhillips]

Well the smoking, the coffee, the Red Bull, the fatty foods, the lack of consistent sleep, the incredible stress...

From what's shown on Deadliest Catch, these guys have an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle.

[MacroGuru]

The job by nature isn't that bad for you. Though they eat a lot, they burn thousands of calories a day on deck. The real issue for many of them is the smoking. A smoke-free boat wouldn't be nearly as bad. But unfortunately, a boat full of smokers appears to be the norm.

Yeah, the gallons of coffee, lack of sleep and most of the food they eat is egg based or frozen dinners just screams not that bad for you.

Phil knew he was done last season and shouldn't have gone out. His only issue was his boys were not ready for the boat and obviously with an off season on discussion and training he still felt they were not.

This sucks to the highest degree, I watch this show avidly and it sucks....he and Sig are my two favorite captains.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Yeah, the gallons of coffee, lack of sleep and most of the food they eat is egg based or frozen dinners just screams not that bad for you.

Nothing wrong with eggs as long as you burn the calories like they do. But I did forget the lack of sleep. That is a bit rough on the body.

[lighthousekeeper]

Well the smoking, the coffee, the Red Bull, the fatty foods, the lack of consistent sleep, the incredible stress...

From what's shown on Deadliest Catch, these guys have an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle.

Sounds like JonInMiddleGA...

[timmynausea]

Wow. That really sucks. He was one of my favorites as well.

R.I.P.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

One thing that stuck out after rereading the article was that Captain Phil was 53 years old. Dude didn't look a day under 60 and that's being nice.

[RedKingGold]

Yup, he caught it.

[hhiipp]

Nothing wrong with eggs as long as you burn the calories like they do. But I did forget the lack of sleep. That is a bit rough on the body.

From what we see though the captains don't really burn calories, they're stuck in their chairs for hours and in some cases maybe days.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

From what we see though the captains don't really burn calories, they're stuck in their chairs for hours and in some cases maybe days.

I think the stress is the worst on the captains. They can have a swing of a few hundred thousand dollars depending on how well they guess where the crab is located. Add in a major engine repair here and there and it's a wonder they aren't all bald and dying at 45.

[Glengoyne]

Something regarding the stress and eating/sleeping habits. We seen two months of their year. I don't know that other seasons are as stressful, and fast paced. For that matter we don't know really know if these guys are at sea for other seasons or for how much of the year. Although they have shown Sig extend his Cod fishing a couple of weeks into the crab season, and it did seem to follow very similar patterns of long grinds on deck with short bursts of rest and relaxation.

Sad to get the update that Phil passed, I thought of him this morning,and was going to Google for an update.

[RainMaker]

While it's not an exciting answer to why, sometimes people just aren't born with the best genes. Sometimes you just get a stroke in your early 50's regardless of how you live your life.

[Glengoyne]

While it's not an exciting answer to why, sometimes people just aren't born with the best genes. Sometimes you just get a stroke in your early 50's regardless of how you live your life.

I'd lay odds this is still tied to the PE he experienced two years ago while at sea. He was damn lucky to make it then, and as I understand it, some of that existing clot was still present.

[Oilers9911]

Sounds like JonInMiddleGA...

You forgot the pent-up rage.

[boberot]

For other fans of the show who couldn't immediately remember which captain was Phil. [Plus, it's a great pic.]

http://l.yimg.com/l/tv/us/img/site/80/40/0000048040_20080411125951.jpg

[cartman]

Here's a nice write up from Mike Rowe about Captain Phil:

Captain Phil « mikeroweWORKS (http://www.mikeroweworks.com/2010/02/captain-phil/)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Here's a nice write up from Mike Rowe about Captain Phil:

Captain Phil « mikeroweWORKS (http://www.mikeroweworks.com/2010/02/captain-phil/)

Great read, thanks for the linkage.

[B & B]

+1

[Lathum]

Great read. I love that show and they never cease to amaze me.

[Lathum]

Sad to see this go down...

'Deadliest Catch' Star Arrested In Seattle - News Story - KIRO Seattle (http://www.kirotv.com/news/22615631/detail.html)

SEATTLE -- Jake Harris, who appears on the "Deadliest Catch" as a deckhand and is the son of the late Capt. Phil Harris, was arrested in Seattle for investigation of drunken driving and hit-and-run, Washington State Trooper Dan McDonald told KIRO on Friday.

McDonald said at about 9 p.m. on Thursday, the WSP received calls about an erratically driven BMW traveling southbound on Interstate 5 near the Snohomish-King County border.

After a WSP airplane directed troopers to the BMW's location, troopers stopped Harris at the bottom of the Mercer Street offramp of I-5 where he was arrested for investigation of DUI and driving with a suspended license.

McDonald said troopers discovered that a car matching the description of Harris' car had rear-ended a another driver about four hours earlier near the 520 Bridge on I-5, then fled the scene.

Harris was booked into the King County Jail where he is being held on $2,000 bail.

A spokesman for Phil Harris confirmed that Harris was booked into the King County Jail Thursday night but said Harris was not intoxicated and did not hit another car.

Harris appeared in court Friday morning with a lawyer.

Jake Harris did not make it to a scheduled appearance Friday morning on the BJ Shea Morning Experience, a Seattle radio show.

"Jake Harris will not be joining us today on the show. He suffered a car accident last night," BJ Shea wrote on his MySpace page.

Jake Harris's father, Capt. Phil Harris, died Feb. 9 after suffering a stroke Jan. 29 while the fishing vessel he captained, Cornelia Marie, was in port at St. Paul Island, Alaska.

[Schmidty]

It's a shame about his dad, but if he was truly drinking and driving, I hope he gets prosecuted like anyone else. I despise drunk drivers for various reasons, and I don't care if the person is famous or in mourning. I drive with my kid out there every day.

[Lathum]

Agreed, it just sucks that it is one more thing the family has to deal with and odds are he isn't making the best decisions right now. Remember, we were all young and stupid once.

[Ksyrup]

New season starts this coming Tuesday at 9pm on Discovery Channel.

[Ksyrup]

Anyone catch the live memorial service they had for Phil on Friday night during CatchCon? I stumbled onto a link minutes before it started. It was pretty interesting. Apparenrtly this past weekend was the second annual CatchCon and Sig, Keith, a couple of the Hillestrandts, and Phil's sons were in attendance. On Friday night they had about a 45 minute memorial service where both boys spoke, along with a producer from the show and Tom Beers (the creator), and 2-3 of Phil's closest friends. Then they played about a 10 minute video the show created to honor Phil - mostly his catch phrases, his relationship with the boys, etc. - that I'm guessing will be shown at some point after he passes on the show.

[Ksyrup]

I'm going to caution everyone about a SPOILER ALERT in what I type, even though most of us know what happened. I didn't really know the specifics of what lead up to his stroke until I saw last week's show, so that's the reason for the spoiler alert.



So last night's episode showed Phil's stroke (or the events leading up to it and the efforts to revive him and get him to a hospital). In case you were wondering, here's an article that lays out how the show is covering his death:

Discovery Channel has announced it will pay tribute to Phil Harris, who died in February after suffering a stroke while captaining his Cornelia Marie crab fishing vessel, in a Deadliest Catch special that will air on Tuesday, July 20 at 10PM ET/PT.

The special -- dubbed Deadliest Catch: Captain Phil Harris Remembered -- will be the culmination of several sixth-season episodes that will document the time from Harris' initial stroke to his subsequent passing.

"Captain Phil was a father, fisherman, funny man and, most importantly for fans worldwide, a friend. We celebrate his life and all those he has touched through Deadliest Catch," said Discovery executive Clark Bunting.

"I wish this would never have been a storyline of the series, but I am proud of the heart and emotion we have worked so hard to put into these very special episodes as a tribute to Phil."

Deadliest Catch's sixth season -- which airs Tuesdays at 9PM ET/PT -- will begin its Harris tribute on June 22 by airing footage of the 53-year-old suffering the January 29 stroke while the Cornelia Marie was docked and off-loading on Alaska's St. Paul Island.

The episode will also include footage of sons Josh and Jake and the rest of the Cornelia Marie crew seeking medical attention for Harris and praying for the best.

Deadliest Catch's June 29 episode will document the rest of the show's fleet learning the news -- including reactions from captains Sig Hansen (F/V Northwestern), Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand (F/V Time Bandit), and Keith Colburn (F/V Wizard).

The July 6 episode will follow Josh and Jake as they watch over their father -- who underwent 12 hours of surgery at an Anchorage hospital and was then put in a medically induced coma to reduce brain swelling. He subsequently exited the coma and began to show signs of recovery in the ICU.

Deadliest Catch's July 13 broadcast will document Harris' actual passing, while the reality series' After the Catch spinoff will then air its finale at 10PM ET/PT and show Harris being remembered at New Orleans' Blue Nile bar.

Deadliest Catch's regularly-scheduled sixth-season episode on July 20 will show footage of Hansen, Colburn and Johnathan and Andy learning about Harris' passing and coming to terms with it before Deadliest Catch: Captain Phil Harris Remembered airs at 10PM ET/PT.

The sixth-season finale will then air on July 27 as the fleet deals with the news of Harris' death while also trying to make their quotas at the end of the Opilio season.
<!-- google_ad_section_end -->


So for those who saw last night's show... I'll admit I'm a bit jaded when it comes to reality shows, so I'm honestly not sure if I believe everything happened exactly as they showed it last night. If it did, Jakes must be carrying a ton of guilt over his dad's death and explains (not excuses) the trouble he's gotten into since then.

The gist of it is... Phil catches Jake stealing his painkillers, confronts him about it, and Jake lies. At that point, Phil tells Jake he's off the boat and out of his life. Jake admits he's an addict. They seem to reconcile a bit after that, but Phil cuts his trip short and heads to offload the crab they've got. Less than 24 hours later, they are offloading crab when the 2 sons and Phil just happen to have a supposedly impromptu nostalgia session where they are looking through old family photos. Not too long after that, Phil retires to his room and suffers a stroke. Apparently the camera crew was not with him, but one of the deckhands finds him when he comes looking for Phil to sign off on the offloaded crab numbers.

So my question is - I buy that the Jake thing and the stroke happened so close together. I'm not sure I buy that they were looking through family photos within hours of his stroke. But I don't know. If that happened spontaneously...wow. If not, fuck Thom Beers. What do you guys think actually happened?

[Mustang]

If that happened spontaneously...wow. If not, fuck Thom Beers. What do you guys think actually happened?

I hope it was true, but my pessimistic side nevers believe anything I see in reality shows.

[JPhillips]

I'm not sure it happened immediately before the stroke, but it happened while the boat wasn't moving. I've never been clear on how long an offload takes, so it could have been hours earlier, but I doubt it was taken from a previous stop and inserted.

[SunDevil]

'Deadliest Catch': Discovery boss talks about future of Cornelia Marie | EW.com (http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/06/24/deadliest-catch-discovery-cornelia-marie/?hpt=Mid)

EW talked with Discovery Channel President and General Manager Clark Bunting about Capt. Phil Harris’ final episodes of Deadliest Catch, and what’s next for the extraordinary reality show about crab fisherman.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Talk about your decision to focus the final six episodes on the passing Capt. Phil Harris.
CLARK BUNTING: We really struggled, there’s no question. I think this is one of the harder stories in our history. We’ve gone through, unfortunately, some tragedy before. We did the Steve Irwin special, but it was a two-hour special after Steve passed. The storyline for Deadliest Catch is about the full arc of Phil’s life. It’s the full arc of going through not just what happened to Phil and the boys, but also the rest of the fleet, the captains sharing their experiences, and them becoming aware of the tragedy that happened. So, we think we’ve covered the full arc without going over the edge.

Did you ever expect this show to get so heavy?
Years ago, I looked at a special that (Deadliest Catch executive producer) Thom Beers had created that was really the forerunner for Deadliest Catch, and I sat there thinking, “Are you kidding me? We’re gonna do a show about crustaceans?” And then he showed me a segment about what happens on those boats, how rough the seas are. He brought us in a bunch of fresh crab and we ate crab while we watched the segment. I think it was, arguably, one of the best pitches I’ve ever seen in my 25 years and it immediately erased in my mind any doubt that this couldn’t be an amazing, heartfelt, exciting story that was, for me at least, the beginning. This is full circle. This is the full story of the captains. This is the full story of the sons. In the end, this is a generational story.

Have you been overwhelmed by the response to Capt. Harris’ death?
Oh my gosh — the number of pages of the posts we had on the blogs. I mean, literally, it was melting the servers. It’s just one of those things that if somebody told me about, I wouldn’t believe. I would go through them night after night to see what these posts were saying, and it was extraordinarily heartfelt. The sheer volume and the sympathy and emotion was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Is that reflective of the show’s ratings this season?
No. Honestly, I think the outpouring was disproportionate to the ratings. It’s TV. Some people watch or people sample. People see a show. But the emotion and the number of folks who wrote in are disproportionate to the number of people who watch the show. Obviously, there were a lot of fans, but above and beyond that, it was a sense of loss. I think, unfortunately, that sense of loss was something we all experience. The show has continued to do extremely well for us. It is our highest rated show on the air. They’ve always had a very loyal audience and that audience comes back week after week. Now, as you begin to get into these next episodes, my expectation is that the ratings will go up high.

Will there be a seventh season?
We will continue next year. And what that story looks like…I think we just want to get this one put to bed and give everybody a little bit of a break to decide where to go next year.

Will the show lighten up?
I think we have to. I think with any loss, there’s a process of healing. I think that’s part of what folks will naturally experience. And then, the question is, where does the story lead you from there? It’s like any great docu-soap. Part of the reason I think that people are drawn into this is that it’s genuine, it’s authentic, and the story has yet to play out. We don’t know how the boys are going to respond. We don’t know what the captains will do. We don’t know who will be the owner of the Cornelia Marie. There aren’t a bunch of writers sitting around and saying, “Okay, what are we going to do next year?” This is real. I think that’s what makes it as compelling.

[Lathum]

I thought it was amazingly cool that the Hilstrand brother was there in Anchorage with them. Shows what a brotherhood they all have.

[Ksyrup]

Tuesday's ep was way intense. This stuff is better drama than anyone could write.

The Hilstrandts seem to be really cool people. They also showed up at a charity golf outing on that Little People show, too.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I think the last couple of episodes removed any doubt that there was any fancy editing to make up some of these situations. From what I've watched, the story seems to have played out for them. There was no need for any editing tricks.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I pretty much can't watch more than a few minutes of each episode this season, just pass through the room for a glimpse as my wife watches. I happened to catch the end of the one tonight though, the Time Bandit cap'n standing in the hall while the boys argued, that's just some incredibly real shit.

And the scene with the Polynesian deckhand (whose name escape me at the moment) and the ostensibly good son, damn. I'm thinking "you're going too far, you're pushing too hard, let it go man" ... and then as he leaves you figure out why he was pushing it the way he did.

As good as it is though, it's just too hard to watch for me most of the time. It's like I'm borrowing someone else's misery, not in a voyeuristic sense, but just in the practical reality of "why do I want to put myself through this".

[Ksyrup]

The last episode was as good as TV gets. The final 8 minutes or so was possibly the best-produced piece of TV I've watched in a couple of decades. This is why I have basically sworn off scripted TV - who needs re-constituted, stale characters and plots when reality (the real deal, done right) is this compelling?


http://<OBJECT width=640 height=385>
&nbsp
&nbsp
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aKIGdgjIPNc&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></OBJECT> (http://<object width=)

[JPhillips]

After the Catch was also good until the over produced New Orleans funeral.

[Ksyrup]

Haven't watched any of the After the Catch eps yet.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

The last episode was as good as TV gets. The final 8 minutes or so was possibly the best-produced piece of TV I've watched in a couple of decades. This is why I have basically sworn off scripted TV - who needs re-constituted, stale characters and plots when reality (the real deal, done right) is this compelling?

Agreed. The last segment had an impact that you'll rarely see from a TV show. Absolutely fantastic stuff.

[Ajaxab]

I've also been thinking that the interplay between Josh and Jake as they were trying to handle this situation was about as perfect a representation of the 'responsible, but subsequently emotionally distant older brother' versus the more 'irresponsible, but emotionally engaged younger brother' relationship as you can get.

[wade moore]

I'm not fully caught up, but watching this show has been surprisingly tough for me. Particularly the episode in which you physically saw Phil after the stroke, etc. My father had a stroke almost 3 years ago. He lived through it thank god, but he has serious long-term effects (namely speech/communication problems) and I was talking to him on the phone while he was having a stroke/mini-stroke we're pretty sure. The nonsensical speaking, etc.

Anyway, this event, and that episode in particular were so shockingly real that it really hit me hard. Very hard. I wouldn't have expected it as I've been pretty non-emotional through my dad's ordeal, but that episode was just so vivid.

[CrimsonFox]

yup I've been following this show for a month now. I come home at night and see it on discovery in like marathons of it. Such a dark depressing show. Then I figured it out. It's a soap opera for guys! Action ! Adventure! Puking! Pissed off people! Yelling! Near death experiences! And Crabs!

The other thing I think of when I watch this show is "What the heck is Gary Busey doing on a crab boat? Is this his rehab punishment or something?"


Yeah it's sad about Phil. Quite a character. And what's worse, based on the footage and things going on lately. His altercation with his son Jake when he caught Jake stealing his medication really could have been the thing that sent his body over the edge. All the stress and blood pressure build up.

I think my favorites on the show though are Keith and his daughter ("Daddy stop chewing! I want to see smileys, not ants!") and Mike Fortner.

Also really like Mike Rowe's narration!

[CrimsonFox]

Haven't watched any of the After the Catch eps yet.

they aren't really that interesting. I like behind the scenes stuff, but they really just keep repeating themselves in these.

[Ksyrup]

I'm not fully caught up, but watching this show has been surprisingly tough for me. Particularly the episode in which you physically saw Phil after the stroke, etc. My father had a stroke almost 3 years ago. He lived through it thank god, but he has serious long-term effects (namely speech/communication problems) and I was talking to him on the phone while he was having a stroke/mini-stroke we're pretty sure. The nonsensical speaking, etc.

Anyway, this event, and that episode in particular were so shockingly real that it really hit me hard. Very hard. I wouldn't have expected it as I've been pretty non-emotional through my dad's ordeal, but that episode was just so vivid.

Some time in the early 90s when I lived in South Florida, I used to listen to WFTL, an AM talk radio station down there. They had this guy on nights, Craig Worthing, who I used to listen to quite often. One night when I was coming home from my then-GFs house, he went on a 10 minute insane babbling rant, where he was just spewing nonsense and had no idea how to stop it or control it. And it all happened live on air.

Reading your post got me to remembering that, so I did a quick search on YT, and low and behold someone posted the audio of it. They made the clip more comical than it was at the time (although it was minor and he recovered from it) by adding dancing scenes to the on-air music that was playing while they tried to figure out what was wrong with him, but it's really fascinating to listen to and realize that the guy felt OK but couldn't figure out what was wrong, and we were following along as it happened live.


http://<OBJECT width=480 height=385>
&ampnbsp
&ampnbsp
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VGvKUPJ7a_U&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></OBJECT> (http://<object width=)

[Ksyrup]

yup I've been following this show for a month now. I come home at night and see it on discovery in like marathons of it. Such a dark depressing show. Then I figured it out. It's a soap opera for guys! Action ! Adventure! Puking! Pissed off people! Yelling! Near death experiences! And Crabs!



Wrestling is soap operas for guys. This is reality.

And my wife is more into this show than I am, actually.

[wade moore]

KSyrup - this episode wasn't as long, but same deal. Then he started talking normal and told me it wasn't the first time, it had happened a few times in the few days before.

My only regret is waiting the time to let him come to grips and drive himself to the hospital (I was 2 1/2 hours away, my brother out of state on vacation) because I was worried about him being mad if I just called 911.

Not sure it would have made a difference in the long run, but...

Anyway, I digress...

[Ksyrup]

Another DC death:


(CNN) -- A crew member of a fishing vessel seen on the "Deadliest Catch" reality show was found dead in a Homer, Alaska, hotel room Tuesday, police said.

Justin Tennison, 33, died of "unknown causes," but his body was flown to Anchorage, Alaska, for an autopsy, according to a statement from the Homer, Alaska, Police Department.

Police and paramedics were called to Homer's Best Western Bidarka Inn Tuesday afternoon after Tennison's body was found, police said.

Tennison served as an engineer on board the Time Bandit during two recent fishing seasons, according to a statement on the boat's website.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> var currExpandable = "expand14"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap === 'object') { CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable); } var currExpandableHeight = 360; </SCRIPT>

"Justin was tough as a bull and was an all-around good hand," the boat's Capt. Johnathan Hillstrand said. "The captains and crew appreciated his hard work and many contributions this past year."

He is survived by a son, daughter, sister, father and grandparents, according to the statement.

Tennison's is the second death in a year among the Discovery Channel show's cast.

Capt. Phil Harris, the tattooed and gruff captain of the Cornelia Marie, died a year ago of complications from a stroke suffered while his crew offloaded crab at St. Paul Island, Alaska. He was 53.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wow, that's a sanitized version of the story that CNN used. Here's what seems to be running everywhere else.

Beer, hard liquor and a small amount of marijuana were found in the room, Homer police Lt. Randy Rosencrans said. Police believe a party was held in the room on Monday night — two rooms were registered under Tennison's name and nearby guests complained about the noise.

[lungs]

Alcohol poisoning? Or whoever had the heroin got rid of the evidence.

[Ksyrup]

I got that from CNN.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I got that from CNN.

What I meant was that CNN used a sanitized version of the story, not that you cleaned up what CNN used.

[Ksyrup]

Ah, I thought you were suggesting CNN had put up more details and then subsequently removed them.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Ah, I thought you were suggesting CNN had put up more details and then subsequently removed them.

Sorry 'bout that. Looks more like CNN wrote their own version instead of using the Reuters copy that seems to be the popular one around the 'net this morning.