'Deadliest Catch' Star Mahlon Reyes Dead at Age 38
Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand in the Discovery Channel hit “Deadliest Catch” about fishing for Alaska king crab, has died at the age of 38.
The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office in Montana confirmed that Reyes died at 12:10 a.m. July 27 at Kalispell Regional Medical Center in Montana. An autopsy at the Montana State Crime Laboratory is pending, according to Entertainment Tonight. The Discovery Channel also confirmed Reyes’s death.
The website TMZ quoted Reyes’ wife, Heather Sullivan, as saying that while in Whitefish, Montana, Reyes suffered a massive heart attack on July 25. She said the family decided on July 26 to take him off life support because of the damage his body had suffered in the heart attack.
Mahlon Reyes, ‘Deadliest Catch’ deckhand, dead at 38 https://t.co/ksoJgesML8 pic.twitter.com/tCqvVOSsZ7
— Page Six (@PageSix) August 2, 2020
https://t.co/HPaoMEvUJn Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand on the Discovery Channel’s reality show “Deadliest Catch,” has died of a heart attack. He was 38.
— Eli Anderson (@ElliLAnderson) August 3, 2020
A Facebook post on a memorial page set up for Reyes went into further detail:
“On Saturday 7/26 mahlon suffered a heart attack when paramedics reached him he was not breathing and had no pulse. The doctors, nurses and team at North Valley Hospital worked so hard to get him back and after 45 minutes they were able to get his pulse back. He was transferred to the ICU at KRMC. Mahlon never woke up there was too much time without oxygen, causing irreversible brain damage,” the post stated.
“On Sunday night our family together made the hardest choice we’ve ever made and that was to remove him from life support. Mahlon’s body was tired and had put up an amazing fight. He was the strongest guy we knew.
“Shortly after midnight on July 27th he passed with his brother and mom right by his side His oldest kids, some of his best friends were all with him as well although they couldn’t be by his they were there as well. He was surrounded by so much love.”
Sullivan told USA Today in an email that her family is recalling their time with Reyes to make the “impossible situation bearable.”
“We laugh and remember all the funny stories and have been surrounded by an amazing group of our best friends and family,” Sullivan wrote. “I am in awe of the people that he touched just by his positive attitude and smile.”
“He was my rock and I was his.”
Some, including “Deadliest Catch” deck boss Nick McGlashan, paid their respects on Twitter.
Love you Mahlonn m v you’re missed. RIP https://t.co/JrlqRzRRjS
— Nick McGlashan (@NickMcglashan) August 1, 2020
According to USA Today, Sullivan said that Reyes was cremated and his closest friends will spread his ashes in the Bering Sea and in Montana’s Swan Range mountains “where he and his brother would snowcat. These are two of his favorite places.”
His “Deadliest Catch” co-stars will spread the ashes in the Bering Sea, Fox News reported.
According to USA Today, the Discovery Channel, in its statement about Reyes, wrote: “So sad, he was so young. Our thoughts and prayers to his family.”
Reyes appeared on 14 “Deadliest Catch” episodes.
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