Todd Meadows’ sister, Mackenzie Meadows, said “no words can even begin to describe the pain we are going through” after the “Deadliest Catch” star passed away at the age of 25.
“His sons will see him through the photos, and we will see him through our sons,” Mackenzie continued to Us Weekly on Tuesday.
Todd’s father, Lucas Meadows, told Alaska News Source on the same day that his son “has been involved in fishing with me since he was probably 3 years old. It’s been a passion his whole life.”
The reality star’s parents said Todd worked for many years on a charter fishing boat in northern Washington before joining the Aleutian Lady.
“He always had a smile on his face,” Lucas recalled. “It didn’t matter if it was a good day or a bad day. He was always smiling. He loved fishing and loved watching other people fish.”
“He wanted to one day own a boat and be a captain,” added Todd’s mother, Angela. “When he sets his mind to something, I mean, he never gives up.”
The Meadows said Todd joined Lady of the Aleutian Islands through a friend, but wasn’t thrilled about having to go crabbing for the Discovery Channel show.
“They had to stop everything they were doing and reshoot just for the show, which really frustrated him,” Lucas revealed. “He just wanted to work.”
Following the news of Todd’s tragic death, his friends and family have set up a GoFundMe to support his three sons.
“I want his memories to be fond wherever he is,” Angela explained. “He didn’t really care what anyone said about him, for better or worse. He wasn’t there to make friends. He wasn’t there to get along with people. He was just there to do his job and do what he loved.”
On Tuesday, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson confirmed to Page Six that Todd fell overboard on Feb. 25 about 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor.
The fisherman was pulled from the sea by the crew about 10 minutes later. When he was unresponsive, first aid was administered and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
At the time of his tragic death, the crew was filming a reality fishing show.
A USCG spokesperson said the organization is currently investigating the situation, which is standard procedure for all marine casualties and accidents.
Captain Rick Shelford first announced the deckhand’s death in a heartbreaking Facebook post over the weekend, calling it “the most tragic day in the history of the Lady of the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea.”
The Bering Sea is known as one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the world due to its shallow depth and extremely cold water temperatures.
Rick referred to Tim as his “brother” in the post.
Trey John Green III, who was on the fishing boat at the time of the incident, assured us on Tuesday that filming would resume this week.
Director Green said, “We’re going home for a couple of days and then heading back to Dutch[port in Alaska]to finish the season,” and that “Discovery was in the middle of filming” when the incident occurred.
However, one network source told us that they were at the end of their production cycle when the accident occurred. It was noted that the Aleutian Lady was the last ship in season 22 that was still at sea.
Sources claimed that filming for this season has finished.
