Mark Howard, best known for his work on Below Deck: Mediterranean, has died.
Howard’s co-star, Tiffany Copeland, shared the news on Twitter on Friday.
“RIP Captain Mark Howard,” the post begins.
“You were a joy to be around.”
TMZ subsequently confirmed the 65-year old’s passing.
Copeland later followed up the post to reveal she had no further details to share aside from the news Mark passed away on Thursday.
When Below Deck: Mediterranean launched in 2016 as the first spinoff of Below Deck, Howard was announced as the Captain of the Ionian Princess yacht the season took place on.
The show emerged as an instant success for Bravo, and a second season was quickly commissioned, but there was no Mark in sight when the show picked back up.
He was replaced by Captain Sandy Yawn, who recently wrapped her fifth season on the show.
According to a bio for the reality TV star on the Bravo website, he was born and raised on a lake in Michigan. He had been a yacht captain for almost 30 years, with international experience ranging from sailing the South Pacific to the Mediterranean and Caribbean on both private and charter boats.
The same bio revealed that Mark also had his pilot license and enjoyed flying helicopters as a hobby.
“While he is always approachable and supportive of his crew, Mark demands professionalism and finds it important to be hands-on in all aspects of the yacht’s operation,” the bio reads.
Unlike some of the other stars of the show, Mark’s social media presence was light over the years, with many wondering what he was up to in the years since his season wrapped.
Howard’s co-star Hannah Ferrier briefly touched upon Mark in an interview with the Daily Dish in 2019, where she revealed that she remained in contact with him.
“Captain Mark and I, we send a message maybe once a year, just to touch base,” she shared with The Daily Dish.’
“I really like him,” Ferrier, who was fired on the fifth season of the show shared, adding that she had no idea what he had been doing since his tenure on the show concluded.
I don’t really think I knew what he was up to when I was working with him, let alone three years later,” the former Chief steward shared.
“He was like the opposite of [Captain Sandy Yawn]. He kind of drove the boat and stayed in his cabin, so it was lovely.”
Fans took to the comments section of Tiffany’s post to share their thoughts on the sad news.
“Oh no, loved watching him,” said one fan.
“I am so saddened to hear of Captain Mark Howard’s passing. He was very kind,” added another.
“He seemed like a nice man with a delightful personality,” said one more fan.
Like we said, details are still scarce, but we will update this post as more details come to light.
May Mr. Howard rest in peace.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
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