Gone But Not Forgotten: What Happened to 'Deadliest Catch's' Tony Lara?

When it comes to action-packed reality television, Deadliest Catch has been entertaining viewers since it first premiered nearly 20 years ago. Over the decades, fans of the show have been enraptured by the dangers of deep-sea fishing and crabbing. One aspect that viewers have come to understand over the years is that the people aren't the only characters they're watching in the series. The boats themselves have their own personalities, making them cast members just like the humans that man them.

However, when it comes to the biggest personalities aboard each vessel, those roles are filled by the various captains. Captain Sig Hansen has been the longstanding captain of the series and has been at the helm of the Northwestern vessel since the show premiered in 2005. Other captains have come and gone throughout the series and, in one way or another have left an impression on viewers and an impact on the series. One of those captains is Tony Lara, whose time on the series was brief.

Tony Lara was the captain of the Cornelia Marie during Season 7 after the untimely death of its former owner and captain, Phil Harris. Tony's presence was immediately a welcome one, and his firm demeanor made him a capable leader. His personality was strong enough for viewers to get attached to him quickly. Unfortunately, on August 8th, 2015, Tony passed away from a heart attack while he slept. He was only 50 years old when he died, and his death hit viewers hard.

The job these fishermen and captains do is incredibly dangerous. The series is called Deadliest Catch for a reason, and viewers have seen their fair share of tragedy. One, of course, was the death of Captain Phil Harris, who had a medical emergency while unloading the boat on January 29th, 2010. He had a stroke and was put into a medically induced coma for several days. He woke up from the coma and was able to spend time with family before he passed away 11 days later.

In Season 10, Phil's son Josh Harris, alongside Casey McManus, took over ownership of the Cornelia Marie. They captained the boat together off and on all the way through the 18th season. Josh was given his own spinoff as well, but then news surfaced of an incredible heinous incident that occurred in Josh's past. In 1999, Josh pled guilty to sexually assaulting a small child he was babysitting when he was a teenager. He was arrested and took a plea deal and the incident remained in the past until 2022.

Many thought that the firing of Josh meant that viewers would not see the Cornelia Marie set sail again on the show. However, Taylor Jansen shared an Instagram photo of the vessel with the caption, "First shipyard as partners in this big blue piece of steel," followed by the hashtag "Bristolbaybound." The comments suggested they had no plans to return series immediately, but fans are hoping the photo is a sign the vessel will be back in the future.