Deadliest Catch star Todd Meadows’ cause of death has been revealed weeks after he fell overboard while filming the hit TV show.
Todd, 25, died February 25 while working on the Aleutian Lady fishing boat and filming the high-risk Discovery Channel reality series. A GoFundMe set up in his honor to support his wife and three children confirmed he died while “crabbing out on Alaskan waters.”
His death certificate, obtained Monday by TMZ, stated that he died of “drowning with probable hypothermia” and “submersion of body in cold water.”
Todd’s death was ruled an accident.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Todd’s mother, Angela, has intervened to ensure the Discovery Channel does not end up showing the incident on television.
“We don’t want to see any footage from the accident and do not want Discovery to air any of that footage or make money off of our son’s death,” Angela told TMZ in March. “We hope they only air good things of Todd on that boat.”
She added in a separate statement to Alaska’s News Source, “No parent would want the world to watch their child die.”
Angela has also requested footage from her son’s time on the boat, according to TMZ.
“It never mattered what anybody had to say about him, good or bad,” she said of her son’s time as a deckhand on the series. “He wasn’t out there to make friends. He wasn’t out there to click with people. He was just out there to work and to do what he loved.”
A spokesperson for the United States Coast Guard Arctic District said Meadows was found unresponsive 10 minutes after falling off the boat in Alaska. “First aid and attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful,” a statement read.
The Coast Guard also said at the time of the incident that officials were “investigating this situation” to “uncover the cause and initiate necessary corrective actions.”
Deadline reported that the vessel was the last one featured in the forthcoming 22nd season that was still at sea, and that filming concluded shortly after Todd’s death. The Independent has reached out to Discovery Channel for an update on when the season might premiere.
Deadliest Catch premiered in 2005, following a group of king crab fishermen in Alaska as they embarked on the perilous journey to catch the seafood delicacy in the Bering Sea. The show’s title is inspired by the high risk of injury or death linked to the line of work.
Captain Rick Shelford, who has been a regular on the show since 2023, called it the “most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady.”
“His love for fishing and his strong work ethic earned everyone’s respect right away,” Shelford wrote in a March Facebook post announcing Todd’s death. “His smile was contagious, and the sound of his laughter coming up the wheelhouse stairs or over the deck hailer is something we will carry with us always.
“Todd’s love for his children, his family, and his life was evident in everything he did,” Shelford continued. “He worked hard, loved deeply, and brought joy to those around him. Right now, our hearts are broken in a way that words can’t fully express. We ask that you lift Todd’s children and family in prayer and keep them in your thoughts as they face the days ahead without him.”
A spokesperson for Discovery Channel said his death was “a devastating loss,” adding: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Todd Meadows. Our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates, and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time.”
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