I knew Phil Harris was in declining health. It had been obvious for awhile. His sons were openly warning him to take better care of himself saying that he was "living on cigarrettes, coffee, and Red Bull" To me, Phil Harris and Sig Hansen were the best parts of "Deadliest Catch". And Phil's interaction with his two sons as he sought to get them to work just as hard if not harder than the rest of the crew was amusing to watch. Wonder who will captain the Cornelia Marie now? Neither Jake nor Josh Harris have anywhere near the experience.
Listening to him on the show, Phil seemed the type who was always going to start eating right, exercise, and lose weight "tomorrow". Unfortunately, tomorrow doesn't always come.
Phil was the most entertaining personality on that show. Sad to see him go. I hope his boys learned something from the old man.
I just heard the news now. I'm not surprised, unfortunately. His health was declining and you can't live on cigarettes. So sad for his boys. They'll be lost without him.
I think the boys will do just fine when it comes to making a living. Their dad taught them how to work and they're very bright. The real concern is whether they end up imitating him when it comes to lifestyle or if they take the lessons to heart (no pun intended) about taking proper care of oneself, even though a fishing boat is hardly the best place for proper diet, exercise and rest.
I don't think healthy living is an option for these guys. It's just different degrees of bad. Take a look at Sig Hansen and it would be no surprise if he dropped dead tomorrow.
