Legendary treasure-hunter Dan Blankenship, who played a central role on History show The Curse of Oak Island, has died at the age of 95.
Blankenship spent more than 50 years searching for treasure and uncovering mysteries on the famous island.
He was beloved by fans of the popular History show where he was regularly seen offering advice to the team, led by brothers Rick and Marty Lagina, who are currently searching for treasure on the island.
Tributes have been pouring in on social media following the news of his death, which was first revealed by the popular Curse of Oak Island (Original) Facebook group.
His passing, which took place on March 17 and was reported to be from natural causes, was later confirmed by both Oak Island Tours Inc. and the Friends of Oak Island Society, which together run official tours on the island.
History also paid tribute to him in a statement, saying: “We are saddened by the loss of Dan Blankenship. He will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.”
@CurseOfOak Dan Blankenship is a life to be celebrated! He loved doing what he had a deep passion for most of his life….most of us only have that dream!
My deepest sympathies to Dan’s family, and his COOI family and friends. RIP friend…— Rhonda A Iwanski (@raiwanski) March 18, 2019
This is such a sad news. Dan Blankenship was a true model of perseverance, to always seek the turth and pursue your dreams, no matter how crazy they may seem. #OakIsland https://t.co/Ni632J7YNv
— Rebecca Verdon (@rebeccaverdon) March 18, 2019
https://twitter.com/MichaelEast83/status/1107705363460182017
https://twitter.com/rfigraphicnovel/status/1107708835719012353
Blankenship first moved to Oak Island back in the 1960s, when he formed a syndicate with fellow treasure-hunters Robert Tobias, Fred Nolan and Robert Dunfield.
He has been featuring regularly on the current season of The Curse of Oak Island, which was filmed last year. A u-shaped structure which he previously found in the island’s Smith’s Cove has played a major part in recent episodes of the show, and he also carried out extensive works in the island’s famous Money Pit area.
Blankenship celebrated his 95th birthday in May 2018.
The Curse of Oak Island airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on History.