Sad sad news this morning. Phil Harris, captain of the Cornelia Marie fishing boat has died (February 9) in Alaska.
Harris suffered a massive stroke on Jan. 29 while the Cornelia Marie was in port at St. Paul Island, Alaska. He was flown to Anchorage for medical care, where he underwent surgery and had been placed in a medical coma. Although things were looking better just a few days ago when he woke from the coma and his fighting spirit was still very apparent.
Harris’ sons, Jake and Josh Harris released a statement:
“It 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.”
And Discovery Channel said in a statement:
“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.”
He was 53. RIP
Very sad. We here at Celebug would like to send our condolences and prayers to Phil Harris’ family, friends, crew of the Cornelia Marie, cast and crew on Deadliest Catch, and fans. He will be missed.