Nick Mavar, a longtime fisherman whose tenacious deckhand years were chronicled in the Discovery Channel reality series Deadliest Catch , died Thursday in Alaska, Bristol Bay Police Chief Jeffrey Eldie confirmed Friday to Deadline . He was 59 years old.

His nephew Jake Anderson, who appeared with Mavar on the show and previously credited Mavar for helping him through substance abuse struggles, told The New York Times on Saturday that Mavar suffered a heart attack while on a ladder at a boatyard in Naknek, Alaska and fell onto a dry dock.

Mavar was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The passing of Nick Mavar spread through the fishing community like wild fire, Sig Hansen, captain of the Northwestern ship featured on the show, shared Friday . This is no surprise because of how well known and respected he was by the fishing fleet.

Mavar starred in 98 episodes across 17 seasons of Deadliest Catch and appeared in several of its popular spinoffs. He worked aboard the Northwestern and its equipment until 2020, when he left the show after his appendix ruptured while filming.

Mavar sued Hansen last year for $1 million for failing to have an adequate plan for ship workers medical care, Alaska Public Media reported . Hansen reportedly argued in court last year that the shows production company and medical provider were to blame for the ships COVID-19 protocols, which delayed Mavars care.