Todd Meadows, who made a name for himself in the fishing reality TV show Deadliest Catch, has died at the age of 25.
Captain Rick Shelford, a good friend of Meadows after starring alongside him on Deadliest Catch, took to Facebook to confirm the tragic news that the TV star died last week.
In an emotional social media post, Shelford wrote: “February 25, 2026 was the most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady on the Bering Sea. We lost our brother, Todd Meadows.
“Todd was the newest member of our crew, he quickly became family. His love for fishing and his strong work ethic earned everyone’s respect right away.
“His smile was contagious, and the sound of his laughter coming up the wheelhouse stairs or over the deck hailer is something we will carry with us always.”
The Deadliest Catch star has died (Facebook/Tom Meadows)
Deadline reports Meadows died while the Deadliest Catch team were capturing him and his colleagues fishing for crabs on the Bering Sea.
The outlets adds that the details around his death are unclear.
In a tribute on Facebook, his grandmother Connie Lambert wrote: “My heart is so full of love and sadness right now! I also lift up those Men that were on the same ship you were on! I also lift up the United States Coast Guard for everything they did to save you!”
According to Todd’s Facebook page, he had been a deckhand on the Aleutian Lady since May 2025.
The vessel had featured on Deadliest Catch before, most notably in season 19, which saw two co-captains sparring over safety concerns on the ship.
Sean Dwyer, who was brought in to captain the Aleutian Lady alongside Shelford, said on the show: “I don’t necessarily feel like it’s a good idea to take off. I honestly feel like there’s some corners that are being cut and I’m concerned.”
The Aleutian Lady has previously appeared on the show (Discovery)
Shelford responded: “There is no safety issue, at all.”
Dwyer stormed off and never sailed with the ship.
In his tribute, Shelford said Meadows brought ‘joy to those around him’ and that his ‘love for his children, his family, and his life was evident in everything he did’.
The statement continued: “Right now, our hearts are broken in a way that words can’t fully express. We ask that you lift Todd’s children and family in prayer and keep them in your thoughts as they face the days ahead without him.
“Todd will forever be part of this boat, this crew, and this brotherhood. Though we lost him far too soon, his legacy will live on through his children and in every memory we carry of him.
“Rest easy brother, till we meet again.”
Todd Meadows was just 25 years old (Discovery Channel)
A spokesperson for Discovery Channel, the network behind Deadliest Catch, stated they were ‘deeply saddened’ by Meadows’ death.
“Our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates, and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time,” the spokesperson added.
A cause of death has not been confirmed as of yet, though a GoFundMe page set up in his honor has stated he died while ‘crabbing out on Alaskan waters’.
Meadows is not the first person to have died while filming Deadliest Catch.
In 2019, a boat that was set to be featured in Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove capsized and three fishermen died: Joshua Porter, 50, James Lacy, 48 and Stephen Biernacki, 50.
Oregon State Police said the fishermen asked the US Coast Guard (USCG) for help due to ‘high seas’ crossing the Yaquina Bay bar.
The boat ‘had capsized with three people onboard’ shortly after, according to officials.
