‘Deadliest Catch’ Star Dead at 59 After Suffering Medical Emergency

Deadliest Catch star Nick Mavar, who appeared in 98 episodes of the Discovery Channel series from 2005 to 2021, died an age 59 on Thursday after suffering an apparent medical emergency. Mavar served as a deckhand on the long-running reality series, which follows Alaskan crab fishermen in the Bering Sea, and was responsible for maintaining the F/V Northwestern and its mechanical equipment.

Details surrounding his passing are currently unknown. TMZ reports that the Bristol Bay Borough Police Department stated it was too early in the investigation to draw conclusions and that authorities were still in the process of conducting interviews. In the meantime, they say that Mavar’s family had been notified.

Mavar left the series during its 17th season due to a health scare involving his appendix, which was featured in one of the storylines on the show. He went on to sue Sig Hansen, the ship’s captain, claiming that there had not been a suitable plan in place to call for outside medical assistance during the pandemic. As a result of the delay in getting treatment, Mavar’s appendix ended up rupturing, which apparently also had a tumor attached to it that he hadn’t been aware of.

In turn, Hansen blamed the production company and the medical subcontractor. The ordeal was still playing out in court as of last year, with the Hansen family requesting legal and medical payments related to Mavar’s injuries.

After leaving the show behind him for good, Mavar had reportedly been seen around Bristol Bay, where he captained his own salmon fishing vessel. He also got married a few years back to his wife Julie in August 2021. “Introducing Mrs. Mavar,” he captioned an Instagram post at the time the couple wed.