One of the stars of Discovery's docuseries Deadliest Catch has passed away; he was 38-years-old. Blake Painter, who starred in the second and third seasons of the series, was found dead at his home in Astoria, Oregon. Painter was the captain of the crabbing ship Maverick. He served as the ship's captain during his last season on the show. It has been eleven years since Painter appeared on the series; he starred on it from 2006 to 2007.
According to Deadline, the discovery of Blake Painter's passing came via a friend, who discovered Painters body when he went to check on him.The friend had not heard from Painter for several days when he decided to verify how he was doing last Friday. Authorities say the former TV personality had probably died one or two days before his body was discovered.
The authorities handling the case also said there is no evidence foul play played a role in Blake Painter's passing, meaning there is no reason to suspect a third party's involvement in his death. The cause of his death will remain a mystery for a while longer; toxicology results are pending, along with the cause of death. It is currently unclear how long it will take for those results to come in.
Blake Painter's death comes a few months after he was charged with DUI, heroin possession, evidence tampering, and reckless driving, (via The Daily Astorian). Deadliest Catch has yet to respond to Blake Painter's death on social media. As of this story's publication, the show's last tweet was over 12 hours ago. One of the series' stars has responded to Painter's passing. Captain Keith Colburn shared a moving message memorializing Painter on his Twitter account, check it out.
Blake Painter's death is another tragic chapter in the Deadliest Catch family. In 2010, Captain Phil Harris suffered an ultimately fatal stroke while camera crews were filming the sixth season of the show. The aftermath of his stroke and death were documented on the series. In 2015, 24-year-old Joseph McMahon, a former producer on the series was murdered. That same year, one of the series' on-screen presences, Tony Lara, passed away at 50-years-old.
Deadliest Catch has been on the air for thirteen years and fourteen seasons, with Season 14 currently airing. The series documents the high-risk work and inner world of crab fishing and the imminent danger that comes with pursuing what could be the "deadliest catch." It has captured some of the most harrowing moments of the Alaskan fishermen's lives as they exist in almost constant peril. The show has earned 16 Primetime Emmy awards, including Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program.
New episodes of the Deadliest Catch air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Discovery. If you want to know what other new television to expect, then check out our guide to TV's summer premieres.
