Rest In Peace Captain Phil, Sea Warrior

It's with a heavy heart we say goodbye to Captain Phil Harris. We had our fingers tightly crossed when news broke that he suffered a stroke while off-loading his vessel Cornelia Marie at St. Paul Island in Alaska. He was flown to Anchorage for a 12 hour surgery and placed in a medically induced coma. After showing small signs of improvement for a few days, he passed away Tuesday night at the age of 53. Heartbreak overflow.

Phil starred in Discovery's Deadliest Catch and was often a fan favorite. An antidote to the typical reality star, he was a real person; tough, stubborn, head strong, resilient, and brave - yet goofy, lovable and always compassionate with his sons and crew. Perhaps most notably, he was a true working man, fisherman, leader and artist at his craft.

Sons and crew members Josh and Jake Harris released a statement on the Cornelia Marie website, saying "It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad - Captain Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down." The ship was based in Seattle and we offer all of our condolences and cyber hugs to his local family and friends.

Discovery also released a statement, saying "Discovery mourns the loss of dear friend and colleague Captain Phil Harris.  He was more than someone on our television screen.  Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him.  We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart.  We share our tremendous sadness over this loss with the millions of viewers who followed Phil's every move.  We send our thoughts and prayers to Phil's sons Josh and Jake and the Cornelia Marie crew." Check out their collection of Captain Phil Moments.

Seriously you guys, we're really bummed. Everyone is. Rest in peace big man. And now, a haiku:

Oh Cap Phil, work horse.
Opilio King you were.
Rest well, o' sea man.