The Stars Of Deadliest Catch Who Tragically Died

Deadliest Catch is one of Discovery Channel's most addictive offerings, if you like stories about life and death; that is. For those who prefer their reality shows based on, err, reality, Deadliest Catch follows the never-ending drama for those in the crab fishing industry, and it makes for some pretty compelling viewing. The Emmy-award-winning show watches like a good old doccie, but with real heart-racing risks. The show has paid off, time and again, even adapting to unprecedented times, such as during the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the crab season. As revered Captain Sig Hansen remarks in a Season 17 trailer, "I've been coming up here for 42 years, and I've never seen anything like this."

However, Alaska's icy waters are notorious for taking lives, and crew members constantly battle with nature's harshest elements. The reality show, which has been on air since 2005, seems to have been cursed with the deaths of several cast and crew members. Strangely, very few of the tragic deaths happened at sea.  Let's dive into the real stories behind the Deadliest Catch deaths.

Fiction ain't got nothing on reality. See, days before the Phil Harris tragedy went down, Jake Anderson received word that his father had vanished. Yup, three cast members were dealing with the loss of their dads at the same time. Komo News reported that Keith Anderson went missing in early January 2010. This was a man who, for the duration of his 43-year marriage, had never spent the night away from his wife. His truck was found a couple of weeks later in a remote part of Skagit County, but there was no sign of Jake's dad. Two years later, a hiker found the remains of the older Anderson's body. He had been murdered.

Although Keith did not appear on Deadliest Catch, his missing but assumed dead status was an important part of the haunting story arc. Jake was devastated that his dad had vanished, and for five episodes, he tried to work through his emotions. According to Entertainment Weekly, Jake envied Josh and Jake Harris because they were able to find closure. The Harris brothers could say goodbye to their dad because they had a body to bury. "I just want to know what happened to my dad," Jake said (via Perez Hilton). His father's death had a profound impact on him, and according to his bio, he worked his way up from being a greenhorn to the captain of Saga as a result of the tragedy.

Joseph McMahon was a talented associate producer on Deadliest Catch when he was shot in cold blood in July 2015. According to Deadline, the 25-year-old was brutally slain in front of his mom's house in Pasadena, California.  Later, the body of suspect Brandon Rafiepour, 24, was found in his car. The alleged perp had parked in front of his own parents' house before committing suicide (via San Marino Tribune). Police confirmed that the two knew each other, but it was only later that McMahon's dad confirmed the motive.

Tom McMahon wrote his son's story on Moms Demand Action, a gun safety awareness group. The father revealed that his son had two childhood friends over for some video games. Rafiepour kept asking their mutual friend when he was going to leave, and both men eventually left Joseph's home at around 2 a.m. Joe went outside — for an unknown reason — and that's when Rafiepour gunned him in cold blood. "I wish I had been there the night Joe was killed. I wish I had stopped my son from going outside that door," a clearly grieving Tom wrote.

Captain Blake Painter starred in two seasons of Deadliest Catch, and then he wanted out. The last time he appeared on the show was in 2007 before hauling in his final crab trawling nets. As time went on, it looks like the captain of the F/V Maverick seemed to have developed a habit. According to The Astorian, in January 2018, he was arrested and charged for the possession of heroin, driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, and tampering with evidence. Needless to say, it was a hefty list of charges.

Just months later in May, Painter was found dead in his kitchen in Oregon. Friends called the cops after they became concerned. Police busted in and were assaulted by the stench of decaying flesh, per TMZ. They also found prescription painkillers, tinfoil, a pipe, and a metal container with either heroin or meth in the 38-year-old's home. Sadly, Painter's death would only usher in other Deadliest Catch stars' drug-related deaths.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

2020 was a bad year for the cast of Deadliest Catch. Not only did they lose Mahlon Reyes, but Nick McGlashan died of an overdose just before the start of the most eagerly anticipated new year ever. Deck boss Nick was a fan favorite and was open about his past struggle with addiction. However, it seems as if he relapsed. According to The Sun, his autopsy showed that he took a lethal combination of meth, cocaine, and fentanyl before he died in December at a Holiday Inn in Reddick, Florida. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him with a defibrillator, but Nick was gone.

In Season 13, producers kicked him off Cape Caution and ordered him to go to rehab according to his Deadliest Catch bio page. In 2017, he shared his struggle to stay sober in Chosen Magazine. He wrote, "I was at war with my addiction and it was winning. To say I was lost would be an understatement. I was broken and soulless." He concluded by saying, "The greatest thing about my recovery is that I can change someone's life just by talking about my addiction and recovery." At the end of the day, Nick raised awareness about drug abuse and his life serves as a cautionary tale. He was just 33, had two children, and was a seventh-generation fisherman.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).