"Deadliest Catch" Captain dies

[LadyBarbossa]

Phil Harris, Captain of the Crab boatCornelia Marie, died Tuesday at aged 53. Those who have seen the Discovery Channel favorite "Deadliest Catch", know the brash and bold Phil Harris as though he were a best friend. Captain Harris has endured much during the seasons of including a massive injury and cancer.

Below is an ariticle from Associated Press on Yahoo. Captain Harris will be sorely missed. Huzzah to a fine Captain.

~Lady B

Discovery Channel: 'Deadliest Catch' captain dies

Phil Harris, the fishing boat captain whose adventures off the Alaska coast were captured on the television show "Deadliest Catch", has died, the Discovery Channel said Tuesday night. He was 53.

Harris suffered what his family described as a massive stroke on Jan. 29 while the fishing vessel he captained, Cornelia Marie, was in port at St. Paul Island, Alaska. The fisherman was flown to Anchorage for surgery.

The reality show, which has filmed five seasons, has been one of the Discovery Channel's most popular and depicts the crab fishing industry in the dangerous waters off Alaska.

"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," sons Josh and Jake Harris said in a statement released by the network. "For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down."

In a statement, Discovery Channel senior vice president Elizabeth Hillman says, "Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him."

"We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart," she said.

In an e-mail to The Associated Press, she said no additional information was immediately available Tuesday night.

Harris had seemed to be improving, and in a posting last Saturday on the ship's Web site, he was described as "talking to friends and family today; showing his greatest progress" since the stroke.

His sons wrote in a Feb. 3 posting that "No one ever said Captain Phil Harris wasn't tough. Today, dad showed some good signs of improvement, squeezing our hands and even summoning his trademark Captain's bluntness ... We are encouraged but still very cautious."

According to the ship's Web site, Harris started working on fishing boats at age 7 and started work 10 years later on a crab boat. When Harris turned 21, he ran a fishing vessel out of Seattle, making him one of the youngest to captain a vessel in the Bering Sea.

When Harris suffered the stroke, the family said a friend, Derek Ray, had flown to St. Paul to take over the role of relief skipper for the rest of the opilio crab season.

Harris' fishing vessel was based in Seattle.

[oderlesseye]

Sorry to hear about this... I have a close friend who fished with Phil and told me a few stories about them...

[Iron Bess]

Very sad for his family.

He was quite the character

[Pew]

Easily one of my favorite folks on that series. God bless 'im. Good luck to his boys.

You will be missed.

[Animal]

When I lived in Seattle, I knew several families who fished for crab. From their stories, "The Deadliest Catch" is the right name for that line of work. I lost a good friend to those waters when his boat rolled. The crew got off ok but he, as captain was the last to go. He was never recovered from the sea. Another fine skipper gone.

Animal

[1stMate Matt]

"We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart,"

I have sold a few swords to fans of that show for no other reason then they were fans. I owe you a few drinks in heaven Mate! Thanks for being a good fellow and entertaining us all!

[Red Cat Jenny]

He will be missed Didn't watch that often, but it was always interesting/entertaining..he was a true seaman. Sad..

[Silver]

i watched for two or there seasons, i liked it. it showed you what it was really like to be on a small boat at sea, dangerous!!!!

[LadyBarbossa]

That it does, Silver. That it does. I can't help but each time I'm in the supermarket, when I see crab legs to think about those guys who crabfish.

Already I am hearing of some people who are incredibly stunned and saddened that he's passed away. Apparently, he's impacted people in a way that some can't. And gained a lot of respect. He's been through a lot, especially while on the show for those couple of seasons.

~Lady B