Mahlon Reyes, one of the stars of TV's Deadliest Catch, has died of a 'massive' heart attack at the age of 38.
Reyes who was known for working as a deckhand on the Cape Caution and Seabrooke vessels was rushed to hospital after suffering a heart attack in his home town of Whitefish, Montana on July 25.
He leaves behind his wife, Heather Sullivan, and four children.
His wife explained to TMZ that her husband had initially survived the heart attack, but then simply never regained his consciousness and had to be taken off life support, whilst his loved ones gathered around him.
In a Facebook post, she wrote: "He touched so many lives and he is up there smiling and watching over my protector from the sky."
His death has left the family 'completely shocked', particularly because Reyes did not suffer from any pre-existent health conditions.
The Flathead County Sheriff's Office are currently looking to identify Reyes' cause of death, and have performed an autopsy and toxicology tests to help establish that.
Reyes made his last appearance on Deadliest Catch in 2015, and had been reportedly recovering from a torn Achilles tendon that he suffered whilst he was out crabbing.
It's also believed that he was planning to head on up to Alaska for the next fishing season.
His Deadliest Catch colleague Nick McGlashan shared a photo of himself smiling alongside Reyes on Twitter in tribute to his lost friend on Monday.
He captioned the photo: "This place misses you. RIP Mahlon."
Then, he shared a group shot of some of the people he's worked with on the show - and in the fishing boats - over the years, and captioned that: "Family times. Laughing, crying and remembering our brother Mahlon Reyes of the Summer Bay."
It is thought that his colleagues on Deadliest Catch will scatter some of Reyes' ashes into the Bering Sea in memory of his time fishing there.
A statement from Discovery Channel called Reyes' death 'very sad news' and said: "Our thoughts and prayers go to his family."
Reyes had quickly become one of the most popular characters on the show after making his appearance in 2012.
Deadliest Catch follows ships full of fishermen in the Bering Sea near Alaska as they battle the treacherous conditions in order to land a lucrative catch of Alaskan king crab, snow crab, and bairdi crab.
It debuted in 2005, and has since run for 16 seasons.
Featured Image Credit: Discovery ChannelTopics: TV and Film, US Entertainment