‘Dakota’ Fred Hurt, star of ‘Gold Rush’ reality TV show, dead at 80

“Dakota” Fred Hurt, a veteran prospector who starred in the reality television show “Gold Rush: White Water,” died Tuesday. He was 80

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Hurt’s death was announced in a Facebook post by his family. The cause of death was cancer and he died a day after his 80th birthday.

“He fought courageously in his battle against cancer,” his family wrote. “Fred touched many lives and was loved and supported by many.”

TMZ was the first outlet to report Hurt’s death.

Hurt revealed four months ago that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer, Entertainment Weekly reported.

“I’ve lived a full 80 years of an interesting life,” Hurt said at the time. “If I emerge from this dark diagnosis, I’ll have another adventure to share with you folks.”

Hurt appeared in several reality shows on the Discovery Channel about looking for gold in the wild, Deadline reported.

The self-taught gold miner earned his nickname because of his roots in North Dakota, Entertainment Weekly reported. During a 10-year stint in Alaska, he mined more than $750,000 in gold from Porcupine Creek, the entertainment news website reported.

Hurt appeared in 61 episodes of “Gold Rush: White Water,” which also starred his son, Dustin Hurt, according to IMDb.com.

Fred Hurt also appeared in “Gold Rush: South America” and “Gold Rush: The Legend of Porcupine Creek,” Deadline reported.

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