In an email (via USA Today) written when Mahlon Reyes died, his wife, Heather Sullivan, said those who knew him laughed and remembered "all the funny stories ... I am in awe of the people that he touched just by his positive attitude and smile ... [Reyes] was my rock and I was his."
In a memorial posted on Facebook, the Reyes family wrote (via USA Today), "On Sunday night our family together made the hardest choice we've ever made and that was to remove him from life support. Mahlon's body was tired and had put up an amazing fight. He was the strongest guy we knew. He was surrounded by so much love." Mahlon spent too much time without oxygen, which caused irreversible brain damage, the Facebook post read.
In the aftermath of the reality TV star's death, the Discovery Channel issued a statement that read (per USA Today), "So sad, he was so young. Our thoughts and prayers to his family." Reyes' death shocked friends, family, and fans of "The Deadliest Catch" around the world, as there were no known pre-existing conditions that could contribute to a fatal heart issue in someone so young. Reyes was only 38.
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