RIP Captain Phil
February 9, 2010 9:45 PM   Subscribe

Captain Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie, a crab boat featured on Deadliest Catch has passed away.

In 2008, Harris was hospitalized for a pulmonary embolism. On January 30th, He suffered a stroke while off-loading the Cornelia Marie and was put in a medically induced coma. It was previously reported that he was recovering well after awakening from the coma. He was 53.
posted by Ruki (60 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
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posted by analogue at 9:51 PM on February 9, 2010


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posted by brundlefly at 9:56 PM on February 9, 2010


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posted by fairytale of los angeles at 10:02 PM on February 9, 2010


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My son will be very sad as well.
posted by Lucinda at 10:03 PM on February 9, 2010


Wow. I love that show and I always thought he was very interesting. Very sad news for his family and crew.

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posted by gemmy at 10:03 PM on February 9, 2010


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Red Bull and Philip Morris will be flying flags at half mast tomorrow.
posted by Pseudonumb at 10:04 PM on February 9, 2010 [7 favorites]


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My sympathies to his family and crew. I enjoyed the show, and was always impressed by the elemental types of men that it seems are needed to duel with Nature in that inhospitable area of the world.
posted by pjern at 10:12 PM on February 9, 2010


Captain Phil was never the most well, but he was the best dad on that show. Definitely my favorite. Damn.

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There goes another one, ala.
posted by electronslave at 10:13 PM on February 9, 2010


Just happened to see a boat or two from this fleet put out from Ballard in mid-January, late at night.

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posted by mwhybark at 10:18 PM on February 9, 2010


This is what's wrong with the internet: I'm perpetually saddened by things I previously wasn't even aware of.

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posted by jimmythefish at 10:22 PM on February 9, 2010 [2 favorites]


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posted by Donnie VandenBos at 10:23 PM on February 9, 2010


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posted by dmand7 at 10:23 PM on February 9, 2010


Deadliest Catch is some brilliant TV (Shut up. Don't even. We know you don't have a TV and we don't care.)

I'd like to say I envy the person who has lived a life where they could watch that show a not see a flaw or fear within themselves or someone they know right there in front of them, turned into a taunt, raw nerve in a place most people would never choose to be. But I don't. Because your life is dull and/or devoid of self-reflection if you can't.

RIP, Capt. Phil.
posted by Cyrano at 10:23 PM on February 9, 2010 [4 favorites]


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posted by Lulu's Pink Converse at 10:25 PM on February 9, 2010


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Dammit
posted by buzzv at 10:38 PM on February 9, 2010


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posted by tzikeh at 10:48 PM on February 9, 2010


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posted by susanbeeswax at 10:57 PM on February 9, 2010


As Phil would say: fuck.

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posted by bwg at 11:09 PM on February 9, 2010


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posted by cerebus19 at 11:17 PM on February 9, 2010


wow. there's celeb deaths all the time, and I often feel a sense of detached sadness about them--obvs particularly with regard to artists/figures I like and respect. But this one made me profoundly sad. I'm tearing up a bit. I think it's because I watched Deadliest Catch a lot, and he was one of the "characters" that I really liked.
posted by exlotuseater at 11:21 PM on February 9, 2010


This sucks; I thought he was recovering from the stroke.

Quite a shock. He definitely made The Deadliest Catch worth watching and was my favourite captain. The show just won't be the same without him.

Here's an anchor for you, Phil. RIP.

o--}
posted by bwg at 11:22 PM on February 9, 2010


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posted by charles kaapjes at 11:32 PM on February 9, 2010


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posted by paulus andronicus at 11:41 PM on February 9, 2010


"According to the ship's Web site, Harris started working on fishing boats at age 7 and started work 10 years later on a crab boat. When Harris turned 21, he ran a fishing vessel out of Seattle, making him one of the youngest to captain a vessel in the Bering Sea."
posted by bwg at 11:43 PM on February 9, 2010


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posted by KathrynT at 11:58 PM on February 9, 2010


Aw, I loved Captain Phil - he seemed like such a good man.
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posted by monkey!knife!fight! at 12:49 AM on February 10, 2010


Holy shit! I know nothing about this guy, except I follow entirely too much celebrity gossip, but I understood he was recovering nicely. What a shame!
posted by Space Kitty at 12:54 AM on February 10, 2010


Damn, I'll miss him on that show. He was always just so brutally open with his doubts and fears and frailty. I wish his sons, and the rest of his family, the strength to get through their loss.

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posted by Ghidorah at 1:02 AM on February 10, 2010


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posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 4:35 AM on February 10, 2010


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posted by xorry at 4:50 AM on February 10, 2010


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posted by biscotti at 4:56 AM on February 10, 2010


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After watching a whole lot of Deadliest Catch, I've started keeping track of the stockpiles of lobster traps that are all over my town. We have a lot of small local lobstermen who keep their traps in their backyards when they're not in use. It drives my wife crazy as I'll insist on taking a detour of a block or two to check on them. With the death of Captain Phil, I will redouble my efforts.

"I've got to check the traps!" I'll say, "It's what Phil would have wanted!"

"I'm canceling the cable," she'll reply.

And then I will slouch off into the morning mist, wiping the tears from my eyes on the sleeve of my yellow slicker. In the distance, the Old Spice whistle can be heard.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:25 AM on February 10, 2010 [7 favorites]


What a shame. I like the show, too, and I'm not really even sure why, but I'm sure it's partly because it features guys like Phil Harris. RIP, Captain.
posted by FishBike at 5:53 AM on February 10, 2010


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posted by AloneOssifer at 6:08 AM on February 10, 2010


Phil's health has been like slow train wreck over the past two seasons of the show, so his most recent stroke wasn't a great surprise. The fact he had been apparently recovering made this death somewhat of a shock. My prayers out to his family and the crew of the Cornelia Marie.


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posted by Atreides at 6:16 AM on February 10, 2010


Loved that show, and particularly Capt. Phil, when I had cable. As others have said, not surprising that he had a stroke, given the (apparent) poor care he took of himself. Nevertheless, the show made him look like a wonderful dad to his kids, kind and caring to his crew, and the kind of boss I think I would want if I were crazy enough to do what those guys do.

I hoist a beverage in the general direction of the Bering Sea today. Sleep well, good sir.
posted by eafarris at 6:30 AM on February 10, 2010


What makes a good captain?

"You have to earn respect, that’s the bottom line. If you don’t have the respect [of the crew] you can’t get them to do anything you want them to. But you also have to treat them fairly. You’re dealing with men, but everybody has problems. You have to have respect for everyone on the boat. If you give respect, you’ll get respect."
posted by chronkite at 6:50 AM on February 10, 2010


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My wife would like me to leave one on her behalf as well.

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posted by JeffK at 7:01 AM on February 10, 2010


Man, the Stranger had just reported him out of the hospital and doing well. That's sad.
posted by gc at 7:03 AM on February 10, 2010


Aw, man.

Those guys have such wanton disregard for what most people consider "healthy living" that you get lulled into this false sense of security -- the old "Keith Richards has preserved himself nicely with all that formaldehyde" schtick. Even aside from the grueling conditions and the risks of serious injury, you get scenes like Sig practically performing CPR on himself and saying, "Wow, that was scary!" before lighting up three more cigarettes to decompress.

So while it's not completely unexpected, it's still jolting me back into a reality that I kind of forgot was there. Phil was a great character in many senses of the word, and I'm so sorry to see him go.

And, of course, I'll be watching to see what happens.
posted by Madamina at 7:03 AM on February 10, 2010


Oh, and from two of us:
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and

(_____CM)
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posted by Madamina at 7:05 AM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]


Sad news. The Cornelia Marie crew is what hooked me on the show. RIP, Captain Phil.
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 7:15 AM on February 10, 2010


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posted by briank at 7:20 AM on February 10, 2010


Oh no, I love Captain Phil. And the way he was with his sons. This is so terribly sad.
posted by Mavri at 7:29 AM on February 10, 2010


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posted by IanMorr at 7:31 AM on February 10, 2010


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In a way I'm glad that my late wife is already gone - she was obsessed with Deadliest Catch and Phil was one of her favorite people on the show. Perhaps she's hanging out listening to his stories now.
posted by mrbill at 8:44 AM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]


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posted by Big_B at 9:40 AM on February 10, 2010


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My thoughts go out to Ding and Dong.
posted by Addlepated at 10:53 AM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]


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posted by annieb at 10:55 AM on February 10, 2010


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posted by TomStampy at 12:03 PM on February 10, 2010


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Peaceful sailing, Captain.
posted by kinnakeet at 10:12 AM on February 11, 2010


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