What Happened to ‘Deadliest Catch’s Nick Mavar? His Death & More

Nick Mavar’s absence is being felt strongly in Season 21 of Deadliest Catch.

On the August 29 episode, Mavar’s nephew Jake Anderson was feeling his loss. “It has been a lot harder than I thought,” he admitted. As the show continues following the death of one of its beloved cast members (Mavar was in nearly 100 episodes of Deadliest Catch), scroll down for a refresh on what happened to him.

What happened to Nick Mavar?

Mavar died on June 13, 2024. His obituary revealed that he unexpectedly suffered a heart attack at the age of 59. Mavar was in the midst of preparing for the salmon fishing season when he died.

The heart attack occurred while Mavar was at a boatyard in Naknek, Alaska, according to Bristol Bay Police Chief Jeffrey Eldie. After being transported to a local hospital, he was pronounced dead.

Why did Nick Mavar leave Deadliest Catch?

Mavar, who served as a deckhand on Sig Hansen‘s F/V Northwestern, left the Discovery Channel series after rupturing his appendix aboard the ship in December 2020. The medical scare eventually led to the discovery of a cancerous tumor.

The fisherman sued the owners of the F/V Northwestern, claiming that they were to blame for his medical issues because there was no plan in place to assure he received adequate medical care. In turn, the owners of F/V Northwestern then sued the production team behind Deadliest Catch, claiming there was “failure to have an adequate plan in place” to receive medical attention amid restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s unclear how these lawsuits panned out, but Hansen did pay tribute to Mavar after his death. “I have known nick mavar for my entire fishing career, he has worked on our family boat for 25 plus years,” Hansen wrote on Facebook. “He was more than a crew member, he was a very good friend and a right hand man. The passing of nick mavar spread through the fishing community like wild fire. This is no surprise because of how well known and respected he was by the fishing fleet.”

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Was Nick Mavar married?

Yes, Mavar had been married to his wife, Julie, since 2017. They met on a blind date and he was immediately “smitten,” according to his obituary. Mavar and his wife tied the knot in 2021.

He also had two children from a previous relationship. His son, Myles, was born in 2000, followed by daughter Emme in 2005. Through Julie, he also had a stepdaughter, Jensen.

Deadliest Catch, Season 21, Fridays, 8/7c, Discovery Channel