‘Deadliest Catch’ Cast Learns of Nick McGlashan’s Death in Emotional Sneak Peek

Deadliest Catch is preparing to pay tribute to one of its own. Six months after series star Nick McGlashan died at the age of 33, the Discovery Channel series will pay homage to the late deckhand on Tuesday, June 15’s episode, which will show the devastating reactions of McGlashan’s Deadliest Catch co-stars.

In an emotional sneak peek clip shared by PEOPLE hours ahead of the new episode, the moment is captured that the cast of the series learns of McGlashan” passing. In the video, which you can view by clicking here, one of the crew members tells his crewmates that they just “got the weirdest text” announcing McGlashan’s passing. The crew is shocked by the “huge loss” of McGlashan, with Captain Johnathan Hillstrand saying, “Wow. [Just] like that, Nick’s gone.”

“I’ve got text messages and words going around that Nick McGlashan passed away. Nick was a part of Summer Bay and pretty much every boat Bill [Wichrowski]’s been running lately. Bill, you know, treated him as family,” Captain Sig Hansen says in the video. “I couldn’t imagine what he’s going through right now, but hopefully Bill will make this season happen, assuming he even comes up at all. I don’t know the status and where Bill’s head is at.”

McGlashan died on Dec. 28 at the age of 33 while in Nashville, Tennessee to meet friends. An autopsy report later revealed that McGlashan died from a drug overdose after taking a “toxic mix of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl.” Nashville Center for Forensic Medicine investigator Krista Hammonds said McGlashan was found unresponsive in his hotel bathroom and drug paraphernalia was found “nearby” in the bathroom. First responders tried to revive him with a defibrillator but were unsuccessful. In a statement at the time, a Discovery spokesperson said, “our deepest sympathy goes out to Nick’s loved ones during this difficult time.”

McGlashan had been a beloved member of the Deadliest Catch cast. A seventh-generation fisherman who was named after a great-uncle who was a pioneer in the American crabbing industry, he appeared on the series from 2013 until 2020 as a deck boss in a total of 78 episodes. He was remembered by Discovery “for his great depth of knowledge” and “sharp sense of humor even in the most difficult conditions.” New episodes of Deadliest Catch air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery. The series is also available for streaming on discovery+.