Sad news today for the fans, like I am, of the Discovery Channel’s long running show “The Deadliest Catch”. Capitan Phil Harris of the Cornelius Marie died on Tuesday at the age of 53. He suffered what his family described as a massive stroke on Jan. 29 while the fishing vessel he captained, Cornelia Marie, was in port at St. Paul Island, Alaska and had been in an Anchorage hospital

Jake and Josh Harris left a statement on their Dad’s web site http://captainphilharris.com/

Is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad – Captain Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down. We will remember and celebrate that strength. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers. –

Statement from Discovery – Discovery mourns the loss of dear friend and colleague Captain Phil Harris. He was more than someone on our television screen. Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him. We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart. We share our tremendous sadness over this loss with the millions of viewers who followed Phil’s every move. We send our thoughts and prayers to Phil’s sons Josh and Jake and the Cornelia Marie crew.