Very sad news today out of the world of reality television:
Blake Painter, who served as the captain on Season 2 and Season 3 of Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch, was found dead at his home in Oregon on Friday.
He was 38 years old.
Based on initial reporting by TMZ, it appears as if Painter passed away from some kind of drug overdose.
This well-sources celebrity gossip website quotes law enforcement insiders who say a friend of Painter’s grew concerned late last week after not hearing from Blake for a few days.
He therefore called the authorities out of fear of what may have happened.
Officers responded by arriving at Painter’s residence and gaining entry, where they tragically determined Painter had been dead for several days.
No autopsy has been conducted yet as far as we know, and no cause of death announced.
However, the police discovered substances inside the home that they’ll test for possible narcotics.
Moreover, they found prescription pills, although it’s unclear if they were a factor in Painter’s death. We’d prefer not to speculate wildly at this time.
Both the autopsy and toxicology tests will be completed this week, at which time we’ll know more about this tragedy.
We can confirm, however, that police do not believe foul play was at work in whatever transpired.
Painter was the captain of the F/V Maverick on the hit Discovery Channel show cited at the outset of this article.
The expert crab fisherman appeared on multiple season 3 episodes in 2007, after having appeared on even more a year prior, before deciding to quit.
Deadliest Catch, meanwhile, explores the real-life high-sea adventures of Alaskan crab fishermen and has been on the air since 2005.
Aside from this very sad piece of news, the series has sparked headlines of various kinds over the years.
Just a few days ago, crab boat captain Sig Hansen pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge that he spat on an Uber driver in 2017.
As a result, the 52-year-old was ordered to abstain from drugs and alcohol.
That same year, Jake Harris was reportedly arrested for car theft and drug possession.
According to multiple accounts at the time, police found Xanax, a prescription medication used to treat anxiety disorders, as well as crystal meth, which he admitted was for personal use.
Finally, 2015, fellow Deadliest Catch star Tony Lara died at age 50 from a heart attack.
May Blake Painter rest in peace.
