Gold Rush Star 'Dakota' Fred Hurt Dead At 80

Gold miner "Dakota" Fred Hurt, who starred in the early seasons of the Discovery reality series Gold Rush before landing his own spinoff Gold Rush: White Water, has died at the age of 80.

Hurt died Tuesday after a battle with cancer, his family announced in a post on his official Facebook page: "'Dakota' Fred Hurt passed away this morning surrounded by family. He fought courageously in his battle against cancer. Fred touched many lives and was loved and supported by many."

A veteran miner, Hurt first appeared in Gold Rush's debut season, which aired on Discovery in 2010. Hurt and his miner son Dustin became known as "the Dakota boys," since Hurt hailed from North Dakota, and they competed with other miners to find the most gold in Alaska and the Klondike region of Canada. Gold Rush became a hit for Discovery, running for 13 seasons and counting, and the Dakota boys were a major part of the show's first four seasons.

Hurt and his son left the show after Season 4 and resurfaced in 2018 with the spinoff Gold Rush: White Water. In it, Hurt and Dustin went to Alaska to mine for gold in whitewater pools at the base of waterfalls. The spinoff has aired for six seasons, with the Season 6 finale airing just last month.

Hurt's family asks that anyone wanting to donate on his behalf donate to the Mike Rowe Works Foundation: "Having worked in skilled labor for the majority of his career, Fred was passionate about teaching others these valuable skills."