The Agonizing Moment Deadliest Catch Captain Phil Harris Was Found Dead

“Deadliest Catch” captain Phil Harris’ death was an undeniably tough blow to everyone who knew him, which was especially true for those there when he passed. In an interview with The Futon Critic, “Deadliest Catch” executive producer Jeff Conroy tells what occurred on the day he died. 

“What happened is basically they were filming in Saint Paul Island and Phil hadn’t come out of his State room,” Conroy says. “So it was like ‘Where’s Phil?’ and they went in and found him on the floor and that’s when they realized it was an emergency and they got him to a hospital in Anchorage.” Harris was known for his numerous health issues, including his chain smoking habits and a pulmonary embolism he suffered from after falling from his bunk during a storm. The cause of his death would be an intracranial hemorrhage, which he died from on February 9, 2010 (via New York Times). Conroy mentions in the interview how sad it was for cameraman Todd Stanley, who spent many years getting to know Harris personally while shooting his daring adventures. 

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Discovery would hold a special memorial service for Harris while his son, Joshua, would go on to captain the F/V Cornelia Marie. In a special tribute made by Discovery, Captain John Hillstrand notes a strange occurrence out at sea following Harris’ death. “When Phil died, it was flat calm for like 10 days out there,” he says. “It was at peace.”