'Deadliest Catch' Star Nick McGlashan Dead at 33

TMZ ^ | 12/28/2020 6:48 AM PT | Staff

[Red Badger]

Nick McGlashan, a 7th generation fisherman who starred in "Deadliest Catch," has died ... TMZ has learned.

The Medical Examiner and family tell TMZ ... Nick passed away Sunday in Nashville. The cause of death has not been determined.

Nick appeared on the show for years ... from 2013 - 2020, in 78 episodes.

Nick's family has a storied tale of the sea. His great uncle worked on the first boat in the U.S. crab industry. Two of his aunts were crabbers ... one of who was lost at sea after the boat sank.

As for Nick ... he started crabbing at age 13. Nick quickly earned his stripes and up piloting the Cape Caution ... eventually upgrading to the Summer Bay.

Nick was an unrelenting figure on the boat. Nothing could stop him ... not pain, nothing. He never gave up ... even when the boat had perilous mechanical problems.

He struggled for years with addiction to alcohol and drugs ... it got bad enough he was suspended from part of Season 13 and ended up in rehab. It got so bad he said he was drinking a half-gallon of vodka and shooting up with one gram of meth and 2 grams of heroin in a single day. He tried hard to stay sober and said he was trying to inspire others to get clean.

The show has had its share of tragedies. We broke the story ... deckhand Mahlon Reyes died back in August after suffering a heart attack.

Nick was 33.

RIP

[fieldmarshaldj]

That guy looks 53, not 33.

[personalaccts]

He was on wild Bills vessel sad

[PIF]

Stay away from occupations that are risky, dangerous and often kill those working in them. You be much happier working at Micky Dee’s or some department store, all safe and snugly

[deweyfrank]

I believe Nick worked on the Summer Bay for Wild Bill Wichrowski. Nick appeared to to be pretty good as a deck boss. Working for that prick, Wild Bill, must have been pretty rough. May he RIP.

[LeonardFMason]

IF you have followed the show since the beginning it is clear drug and substance abuse is a common problem in the crab fleet.

There have been numerous “losses” both death and career over the years.

There was the young guy who wanted to Captain THE MAVERICK - DEATH by OD
Jake Harris - Cornelia Marie - Fighting addiction for YEARS
Elliot Neese - Heroin
Edgar Hansen - Crystal Meth

There have been others. An episode dedicated to the subject is warranted at this point.

[zek157]

Lots of guys are great when they are working, but have no idea what to do with themselves when they go home. Worked on boats and have known several. Same thing happens to some military vets.

[SamAdams76]

A half gallon of vodka a day...I'm trying to get my arms around that one.

There are 39 "shots" in a half gallon of vodka. That's John Bonham territory right there.

[PIF]

For those interested in the early days of fisheries, there are some men who stood head and shoulders above all others - Mario Pueretic who invented the seine power hauler; Dan Laketta who invented the the Laketta D-ring for quick coupling of cables to trawl nets; and George Fulton who pioneered king crabbing in Alaska, caught an entire school of sockeye salmon in his trawl and delivered them alive to the cannery to prove foreign fisherman were scooping up US stocks in their trawl which ADFG said was impossible.

George and the 104-foot Flood Tide in March 1971
Bering Sea Blues: A Crabber's Tale of Fear in the Icy North
Paperback - April 15, 2011
by Joe Upton

George shows his stuff in Chili
Good Morning, Captain
Paperback - January 1, 1978
by George G. Fulton

[PIF]

Working for that prick, Wild Bill, must have been pretty rough. May he RIP.

—
Bill’s a softy - he’s far from a ‘prick’ - there are some real ones, but none of them are on the show, as long as you don’t count Harley who’s just a moderate prick.

Real pricks will kick you off the boat without pay while fishing in the Aleutians - just you on a small treeless island, your crap, more bugs than you ever believed could exist, and some very skinny and hungry brown bears - just pray someone gets you off before the bears scent you.

[DannyTN]

Sounds like he died long before he kicked the bucket.

[deweyfrank]

Maybe you’re right. But he sure plays one on the show, along with Harley, and Keith. Guess they need a few of them to make the show what it is. I enjoy watching it. Beats the hell out of watching the racist sports programs where the athletes want whiteys money but hate whitey.

[small business owner]

51 years and counting one day at a time.

[Atticus]

That is exactly what I was thinking (and was about to post). There is no way the gentleman in that photo is 33. He looks older than me and I am a youthful looking (or so I like to think) 57.

[NYAmerican]

“YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW...SO SHALL IT BE...”

Thanks for straightening that out for us!

[Chickensoup]

transplant patient drank his transplant liver to death?

[PIF]

Maybe you’re right. But he sure plays one on the show, along with Harley, and Keith. Guess they need a few of them to make the show what it is. I enjoy watching it.

—

No maybe about it - been there done that, and those guys are nice compared to the real pricks. I enjoyed living it.

[trashiscash]

Thanks for posting his picture.I watch this show and am heartbroken at Nicks passing.33 years old is so young.RIP Nick

[PackingHeat357]

I’ll turn 50 in a couple days and I look younger than him. Hard living comes with harsh consequences.

[SE Mom]

Remarkable- congrats! 38 here- last June:) Times change- solution is the same. First 164 pages.

[Citizen Soldier]

I love the show. Captain Bill thought of Nick as a son. He will be devastated. Nick was hard hard worker, deck captain. The other fellow mentioned was also on the same ship, Summer Bay. Too sad.