Thaindian News

June 17 (THAINDIAN NEWS) In an announcement today, the Discovery Channel revealed that it will air a series of special shows, which will pay tribute to the late ‘Captain Phil Harris’, of the crab fishing vessel, ‘Cornelia Marie’ which was featured on the television series,’Deadliest Catch’.

Captain Harris passed away on February 9, at the age of 53, from complications following a stroke which he suffered while his boat was docked at port in St. Paul Island in Alaska on January 29, 2009. He was immediately flown to an Anchorage hospital, in hopes that his life could be saved. Sadly, this was not the case.

Always a trooper and hard worker, Captain Harris, who was unable to speak after waking from a medically induced coma, was said to have asked the producers to continue filming while he was in the hospital, because “the show would need a good ending”.

The show will begin to focus on the death of Phil Harris on June 22, and the July 13th episode entitled, “After the Catch” will include a tribute to the captain. On July 20, several one on pone interviews will be aired, with fellow captains, along with Harris’s own two sons, Jake and Josh in the show “Deadliest Catch: Captain Phil Harris Remembered”.

Clark Bunting, President and General Manager of Discovery Channel and Science Channel issued this statement, “Captain Phil was a father, fisherman, funny man and, most importantly for fans worldwide, a friend. We celebrate his life and all those he has touched through “Deadliest Catch,” I wish this would never have been a storyline of the series, but I am proud of the heart and emotion we have worked so hard to put into these very special episodes as a tribute to Phil.”