Todd Meadows, a deckhand on a boat featured in the long-running reality TV series "Deadliest Catch," has died while fishing off Alaska.
Captain Rick Shelford, one of the stars of the Discovery Channel show about crab fishermen in the Bering Sea, announced Monday on social media that Meadows died Feb. 25, calling it "the most tragic day in the history" of his boat, the Aleutian Lady.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed Meadows' death in statement on Tuesday.
The Coast Guard said that on Feb. 26 at 5:05 p.m. local Alaska time, they received a message from the Aleutian Lady that Meadows fell overboard about 170 miles north of the Dutch Harbor, off Alaska's Aleutian Islands.
"He was recovered unresponsive by the crew approximately ten minutes later," the spokesperson said. "First aid and attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful, and the crew transported the deceased to Dutch Harbor."
A GoFundMe campaign for Meadows said the deckhand died while he was out at sea. “We are heartbroken to share the sudden passing of Todd Morgan Meadows, a beloved 25-year-old father, son, brother and friend, who left us far too soon while doing what he loved — crabbing out on Alaskan waters,” the GoFundMe page read.
Shelford said on Facebook that Todd was the newest member of the "Deadliest Catch" crew and that he was lost "far too soon."
"His smile was contagious, and the sound of his laughter coming up the wheelhouse stairs or over the deck hailer is something we will carry with us always," Shelford's post read.
"Right now, our hearts are broken in a way that words can’t fully express," he continued. "We ask that you lift Todd’s children and family in prayer and keep them in your thoughts as they face the days ahead without him."
A Discovery Channel spokesperson said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Todd Meadows."
"This is a devastating loss, and our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates, and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement said.
