Todd Meadows, a deckhand on a boat featured in the long-running reality TV series “Deadliest Catch,” has died while fishing off the coast of 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 on Feb. 25, calling it “the most tragic day in the history” of his boat, the Aleutian Lady.
A GoFundMe campaign for Meadows shared that the deckhand died while 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 in a post on Facebook that Todd was the newest member of the “Deadliest Catch” crew and 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,” Shelford continued in his post. “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.”
In a statement to NBC News, a Discovery Channel spokesperson said, “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.
