Dakota Fred Hurt Dies: Star Of Reality Show ‘Gold Rush: White Water’ Was 80

Dakota Fred Hurt, who was a key part of several Discovery reality shows about looking for gold in the wild, died Tuesday after a brief battle with brain cancer, according to his family.

Hurt lived only four months after he was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. The family’s Facebook post saluted him as a man who “touched many lives and was loved and supported by many.”

He began his career as a gold prospector in North Dakota. The reality show Gold Rush was his introduction to a larger audience, as he looked for gold in Alaska. He appeared on the show’s first four seasons.

Hurt and his son, Dustin, had their own spinoff in Gold Rush: White Water, which began in 2018 and ran through this year. They were part of a team looking for gold in whitewater collection pools at the base of Alaskan waterfalls, battling the elements and nature.

He also appeared on the shows Gold Rush: South America and Gold Rush: The Legend of Porcupine Creek.