On February 9, 2010, Phil Harris died at the age of 53 years old. His final days were documented on Deadliest Catch, which he starred on from Seasons 2 to 6 before his death.
With Deadliest Catch set to return to Discovery next month, scroll down for a refresher on what happened to the captain of the F/V Cornelia Marie.
What happened to Phil Harris?
Harris began the 2010 fishing season with “four crushed disks” in his back, according to his son, Josh Harris. On January 29, 2010, a crew member found Harris on the floor of his room.
“The whole left side of his face was in paralysis, and that was hard,” Josh recalled to People. “He couldn’t move his arms or anything, he was just paralyzed on the floor.” Harris was medevaced to an Anchorage, Alaska, hospital and placed into a medically induced coma for two days.
Harris had a stroke, but seemed to be on the mend after coming out of the coma. Doctors said they were impressed by his rapid improvement. On the day of his death, Harris completed physical therapy and was walking and talking.
However, later that day, he told his best friend, Dan Mittman, “Danny, I don’t feel as good as I did yesterday,” Mittman recalled. He died from an intracranial hemorrhage, which is also known as a brain bleed. Harris was surrounded by his family and close friends at the time of his death.
In which Deadliest Catch episode did Phil Harris have his stroke?
Harris’ stroke happened during Season 6, Episode 10. The aftermath was depicted in the following episodes, as Harris insisted that cameras continue filming. His emotional final conversations with sons Josh and Jake Harris were shown on the Discovery Channel series.
The final episode that Harris was featured in was Season 6, Episode 14, which is titled “Redemption Day.”
What other health issues did Phil Harris have?
In 2008, Harris was thrown out of his bunk on the boat and began coughing up blood. After he was finally convinced to seek medical attention, doctors told him he had suffered a pulmonary embolism.
A pulmonary embolism is “a blood clot that blocks and stops blood flow to an artery in the lung,” according to Mayo Clinic. He spent nearly a year recovering and was unable to go crab fishing during that time. Medical professionals told Harris that the pulmonary embolism could have killed him.
This incident was documented during Season 4 of Deadliest Catch.
Deadliest Catch, Season 21 Premiere, Friday, August 1, 8/7c, Discovery
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
