Tony Lara, who appeared as a ship captain on the Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch," has passed away. He was 50.
At the time of his death, Lara was present in Sturgis, South Dakota, to attend the famous motorcycle rally that takes over the city each August. According to reports, he died in his sleep in the early hours of Aug.8, Saturday.
Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin told Fox News that the autopsy result is still awaited after which the exact cause of death can be determined. As of now, no foul play is indicated and it appears to be a case of cardiac arrest.
Lara appeared in the 2011 Opilio season of the show when he replaced skipper Derrick Ray to captain the commercial crab fishing boat, Cornelia Marie. He appeared in the six episodes of the Original Productions' reality TV series which portrays the happenings aboard the fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the crab fishing season.
"May you RIP Captain Tony Lara," the show's Facebook page posted on Aug.9, Sunday.
Lara's death has come as a shock for his colleagues and close friends. Keith Colburn, Captain of another fishing vessel in the reality show and a longtime friend, told People that he was shocked to learn that he has passed away, before adding that the late captain had "some heart problems a couple of years back, but he didn't really talk about it much."
The Cornelia Marie's current captain, Phil Harris' son Josh Harris also paid his tribute to the departed soul by saying that Lara was always there for Harris family.