Gold Rush's James Harness has died at the age of 57, TMZ reports.
In 2013 we’ve said goodbye to some of Hollywood’s most legendary entertainers and biggest personalities. Among the stars we’ve lost are Roger Ebert, Cory Monteith, James Gandolfini, and Gia Allemand. Here, Us Weekly pays tribute to them and many others.
The Oregon native starred in the Discovery Channel reality series Gold Rush: Alaska from 2011 to 2012. It centered on six miners who searched for gold in various places such Alaska, Klondike, and Guyana, after losing their daytime jobs.
The celebrity spinner, whose real name was Adam Goldstein, died in August 2009 of an apparent drug overdose at the age of 36. The star — who battled drug addictions and had attempted suicide before getting sober more than 10 years ago — survived a tragic plane crash that had left him critically injured.
Harness was the crew mechanic of the group. He later would confirm that the show was partly scripted.
The road to success in Hollywood is a little different for every would-be actor, but these days, reality TV is becoming a major launching pad for some of the industry’s biggest stars. Before they were red-carpet regulars, NeNe Leakes, Jennifer Hudson, Julianne Hough and Lucy Hale were among those who broke through as reality stars
According to TMZ, Harness had medical issues and suffered back injuries that stemmed from a previous car accident. It's been reported that the star was fired at the time of his exit in season 2.
Originally intended to showcase Hulk Hogan and wife Linda’s antics with teen kids Brooke and Nick, their marriage unraveled on-camera to the point of divorce in November. While Nick is serving time for reckless driving, Brooke Knows Best will premiere in July.
More details to follow.
