‘Deadliest Catch’: Nick McGlashan’s Cause of Death Revealed

Deadliest Catch star Nick McGlashan died from a drug overdose at a Nashville hotel on Dec. 28, according to the autopsy report. McGlashan starred in almost 80 episodes of the Discovery Channel series between 2013 and 2020. He was a seventh-generation fisherman and was named after a great-uncle who was a pioneer in the American crabbing industry. McGlashan was 33. The Florida resident was reportedly in Nashville to meet friends.

McGlashan died after taking a “toxic mix of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl,” according to the autopsy report obtained by The Sun this week. He was found unresponsive in his hotel bathroom, according to Nashville Center for Forensic Medicine investigator Krista Hammonds. “The decedent had a known history” of drug abuse, the report notes. Drug paraphernalia was found “nearby” in the bathroom, the report notes. First responders tried to revive him with a defibrillator but were unsuccessful.

McGlashan’s family and the Nashville Medical Examiner confirmed his death to TMZ on Dec. 28, but no cause of death was immediately available. On the next day, law enforcement sources told TMZ there was evidence at the scene that “indicated the possibility of drug involvement,” but officials were waiting on the toxicology results before determining his cause of death. “My brother nick passed away. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through. Please hold your loved ones tight,” McGlashan’s sister tweeted.

McGlashan joined the Deadliest Catch cast in 2013, but he came from a long line of crabbers. According to his Discovery Channel biography, he was named after a great-uncle who “worked on the first boat rumored to have pioneered the U.S. crab industry, the F/V Deep Sea, built in 1947.” His aunts were also crabbers, including one who died on a boat in 1986. McGlashan began crabbing himself at 13, working on his father Bruce’s boat. In 2011, McGlashan started working on the Kodiak with “Wild Bill” Wichrowski and eventually became crew boss while Wichrowski ran the Cape Caution and the Summer Bay.

The reality TV star also struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and spent time in rehab during Deadliest Catch Season 13. “Though he’s had his ups and downs, Nick has battled endlessly to stay sober and embrace a new sober lifestyle and is now so committed to his recovery that he inspires others in their own,” his biography reads.