PHIL Harris, the popular and colourful American fishing boat skipper of the hit TV series The Deadliest Catch, has died after suffering a stroke, aged just 53.
The news was announced by The Discovery Channel, the main TV outlet for the programme which has attracted an increasingly large audience in the past year.
Based on the Alaska coast, Skipper Harris's exploits were watched by millions around the world as he depicted the hardships of crab fishing. However, he often seemed tense and lived on a diet of cigarettes, Red Bull drink and very little sleep. Although he had a history of medical problems, it had been thought he was improving after the stroke, but it seems he suffered a second attack.
The reality show, which has filmed five seasons, has been one of the Discovery Channel's most popular and depicts the crab fishing industry in the dangerous waters off Alaska."
His son Jake said: ""It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad who has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down."
According to the ship's web site, Skipper Harris started working on fishing boats when he was aged just seven. When Harris turned 21, he ran a fishing vessel out of Seattle, making him one of the youngest fishermen to captain a vessel in the Bering Sea.In a statement, Discovery Channel senior vice president Elizabeth Hillman said: "We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humour and enormous heart."
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