The cause of death for Deadliest Catch star Todd Meadows has been confirmed as drowning with probable hypothermia, weeks after he fell overboard while filming the popular Discovery Channel series. His death certificate, obtained in April, listed the primary cause as “drowning with probable hypothermia” and “submersion of body in cold water.” Authorities have officially ruled his death an accident.
Todd was just 25 years old when he died on February 25 while working on the Aleutian Lady fishing boat, crabbing in Alaskan waters. He left behind his wife and three young children. Captain Rick Shelford, who has been on Deadliest Catch since 2023, called February 25, 2026, “the most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady.”
