Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand on Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch,” has died. He was 38.
Reyes’ wife Heather Sullivan told TMZ that he had suffered a heart attack in Whitefish, Montana, on July 25, and was taken off life support in the hospital the following day. A Facebook memorial page dedicated to Reyes says he passed away shortly after midnight on July 27.
“So sad – he was so young,” a spokesperson for the Discovery Channel said in a statement to TheWrap confirming Reyes’ death. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
The official cause of death is pending. Sullivan told TMZ that Reyes had no pre-existing health conditions. He was recovering from a torn Achilles that he suffered while crabbing on the boat.
According to Sullivan, Reyes has been cremated and his ashes will be spread by some of his co-stars in the Bering Sea.
On July 30, fellow “Deadliest Catch” crewmember Nick McGlashan posted a photo of the group on Twitter with the caption, “Family times. Laughing, crying and remembering our brother Mahlon Reyes.”
Reyes first appeared on the Discovery Channel series in 2012 and has appeared in 14 episodes. The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons.
Reyes is survived by his wife and four children.