“Swamp People” cast member Mitchell Guist dies

May 14, 2012 by Kevin Ritchie

Mitchell Guist (pictured, right), one of the stars of U.S. cable net History’s reality series Swamp People, has died. He was pronounced dead at a hospital yesterday (May 14) after falling on his boat on the Belle River in St. Martin Parish.

Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack told WBRZ-TV Baton Rouge that Guist was traveling on the waterway around 9 a.m. when he fell. Local news outlets report that two people on the boat waved for help after Guist appeared to suffer a seizure.

After it returned to dock, paramedics attempted to revive him but were unsuccessful. The cause of his fall is not yet known and an official cause of death has yet to be determined.

Guist was just days away from his 48th birthday.

Swamp People follows the lives of alligator hunters in Louisiana, and is produced by Endemol subsidiary Original Media. It debuted on History in 2010 and has aired for three seasons. Guist appeared on seasons two and three.

UPDATE/ MAY 15, 9:30am EST: History and Original Media released a joint statement yesterday concerning the passing of Guist, which reads: “We are extremely saddened to report that our friend and beloved member of the Swamp People family, Mitchell Guist, has passed away earlier today. Mitchell passed on the swamp, doing what he loved.  We appreciate your respect for the Guist family’s privacy and hope you join us in sending our thoughts and prayers to his brother, Glenn, and the rest of the Guist family.”

Tags: History, Mitchell Guist, Original Media, Swamp People