‘Deadliest Catch’ star Nick Mavar dead at 59 in medical emergency

Originally appeared on E! Online

The reality television world has lost one of its own.

Nick Mavar — who found fame on the long-running Discovery Channel show “Deadliest Catch” — has died, according to Alaskan authorities. He was 59.

The former deckhand of the FV Northwestern passed away following an undisclosed medical emergency on June 13, Chief Jeffrey Elbie of the Bristol Bay Borough Police Department told E! News.

As of June 14, Elbie said the investigation remains open. A cause of death has not been disclosed.

E! News has reached out to the Discovery Channel, as well as Mavar’s family for comment.

From 2005 to 2021, Mavar appeared on 98 episodes of “Deadliest Catch,” a reality series following fisherman navigating the brutal conditions of the Bering Sea during crab season. During that time, he worked aboard the Northwestern commercial fishing vessel alongside Captain Sig Hansen, maintaining the ship’s mechanical equipment.

He ultimately left the show after health issues related to his appendix, which was documented on a June 2021 episode of the series.

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Mavar’s passing comes nearly four years after the “Deadliest Catch” crew lost Nick McGlashan, a deckhand on FV Cape Caution and a deck boss on FV Summer Bay.

McGlashan passed away in December 2020 at the age of 33. In a statement to E! News at the time of his death, Discovery sent their condolences to his family, sharing, “Nick came from a long line of crabbers and was known for his great depth of knowledge. He also had a sharp sense of humor even in the most difficult conditions.”

The network added, “He will be deeply missed by all those who knew him.”