Charlie Griffin, a captain on the National Geographic show Wicked Tuna, tragically died in a boating accident. On Sunday night, Griffin and a friend were last seen on a boat in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Coast Guard received a report at 11 p.m. that the two were overdue from Virginia Beach to Wanchese, North Carolina.
The Coast Guard and local responders found the boat on Monday with Griffin and his dog’s bodies inside. The second person remains missing, and the search continues. Griffin’s Facebook page, Reels of Fortune, confirmed his death, stating, “Charlie Griffin and his beloved dog, Leila, died today in a boating accident.”
Griffin, who lived and worked in North Carolina, joined Wicked Tuna in Season 2 and stayed until Season 5. He won the show’s fourth season. Fans expressed their condolences on social media, remembering him as “one of my all-time favorite guys” and “a great captain.”
NC Watermen United, a group supporting commercial fishermen, also mourned Griffin, saying he was “well loved and will be missed by many.”
