Deadliest catch death

Phil Harris, captain of the Cornelia Marie on the Discovery Channel show "Deadliest Catch," has died at age 53.

On the show's Web page, where updates on Harris' condition had been posted since his Jan. 30 stroke, sons Jake and Josh Harris gave notice of their father's passing:

"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. -- Jake and Josh Harris"
Harris, who was based out of Seattle, suffered the stroke during an offload of crab. He was found unconscious in a stateroom, was airlifted to Anchorage for 12 hours of surgery, then placed in a medically induced coma. He'd shown signs of improvement last week, squeezing hands and even telling his doctors and nurses, in his signature gruff style, to not screw things up.

"Deadliest Catch" follows several crews working the Bering Sea during the area's crab fishing seasons. Harris, a fisherman for 32 years, was a co-owner of the Cornelia Marie, which he'd captained for 18 years; Jake and Josh work on the ship as deck hands, and Josh had remained on the ship immediately after his dad's stroke, awaiting the arrival of relief captain to continue the work.

Fans reached out Tuesday night on the show's message boards -- where comments have been posted since Phil Harris fell ill -- offering condolences to the family.

Discovery Channel in its statement referred to Harris as "more than someone on our television screen. 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."

sucks

.... sad ........

phil was the man. sucks he's gone, he was a big part of why i watched the show. rest in peace capt. phil.

Very sad to hear... I haven't watched that show in a long time but he was a very interesting individual.

My company has a 24/7 physician health line and we get calls from all those guys every now and then. Very sad to hear.

That Sucks!!!

That sucks! I wish their family a fast and speedy recovery.

I wonder if Josh and Jake will take over the boat now? Or what will they do. I guess we'll know in April when the new season starts.

That's sucks. I heard about the stroke last week.

That's very sad.
Good night sweet prince, you're with God now.

Very sad to hear

Sad news indeed.

I love Deadliest catch. He had ongoing health problems, its sad that this happened. I feel for his boys.

Just saw this. Phil was awesome. This is sad news.

Very sad news. Phil was a great guy. RIP.

I am surprised a bit that he made it to 53 with the horrible way he treated his body. Wish he could've changed his lifestyle, but sea captains are a stubborn bunch.

Sad news indeed, i hardly watched this show but, i have to say these guys are tough as nails, really respect what they do and the hardships they face out in the cold sea.

Yeah, it is very impressive seeing what they can do. I generally hate reality TV, but this is one where I think the show seems very faithful to their reality.

What a shame. Feel bad for his sons, they seemed to have a close relationship on the show, and I know how ____ty it is to loose your a father

That does suck, I been watching the show for awhile now, and Phil was one of the coolest guys on the show. He put his self thru alot fishing, the show tells it all. True Warrior.