One of Monsters and Critics’ favorite group of salty fishermen from the nation’s oldest seaport, Gloucester, Massachusetts has suffered a loss of a cast member.
William “Willbilly” Hathaway of Nat Geo Channel’s Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks, has died. The reality star was involved in a fatal car accident this weekend. He was only 36-years-old.
Hathaway was part of a fraternity of men who made their living the way it’s been done for generations, rod and reel fishing one catch at a time all in pursuit of the elusive bluefin tuna.
Wicked Tuna was one of National Geographic Channel’s highest-rated series for a spell, as it captured the immense battles, the fierce competition, and huge paydays of the country’s toughest fishermen. Hathaway was part of the spinoff series, Wicked Tuna: North vs. South which was later renamed Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks.
According to Delmarva Now, Hathaway passed away in Salisbury, Maryland, on Saturday. He was a resident of Berlin and died Dec. 15 after the truck he was driving was involved in a wreck.
Hathaway was a crew member on the Foolish Pleasures, one of the featured boats on Nat Geo’s “Wicked Tuna,” a show depicting fishermen on the hunt for bluefin tuna in North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
The news reports say that the fisherman had driven off the road into a ditch on a quiet country road after allegedly being cut off by another vehicle. Hathaway’s wife told police that her husband called her after the accident and informed her that he was all right.
Paramedics were dispatched to the scene, where they found Hathway laying over the center console, unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital but he was pronounced dead.
According to officers, the airbag had not been deployed. Additionally, the car had no evidence of any significant damage. Investigators say the case is open and they are still looking into leads regarding the accident.
He leaves behind a wife, Mary, and newborn daughter, Molly Jean. Rest in peace, William Hathaway.
The Facebook page devoted to his fundraiser has been set up in order to help support his family in the wake of Hathaway’s death. The final goal amount is $250,00; as of this post, it has reached over $58,000.