Wild Bill is an American reality TV personality, navy veteran, commercial fisherman, and captain. He first caught public attention when he was featured in the reality TV series Deadliest Catch: Season 10 Revealed. Bill appeared in numerous TV show episodes and became a fan favourite. In 2023, the news of Wild Bill’s health sent shockwaves among his fans. So, what happened to Wild Bill from Deadliest Catch?
Wild Bill was diagnosed with prostate cancer one year ago. The American celebrity made public his cancer diagnosis during the finale of the 19th season of Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch. Despite suffering from the deadly disease, Bill is in high spirits and even continues working in the Alaskan crab fishermen industry.
Wild Bill’s profile summary
| Full name | William Wichrowski |
| Nickname | Wild |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | 24 May 1957 |
| Age | 67 years old (as of 2024) |
| Zodiac sign | Gemini |
| Place of birth | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Current residence | San Carlos, Mexico |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Hair colour | Gray |
| Eye colour | Blue |
| Father | Charles Thomas Wichrowski |
| Mother | Margaret C |
| Siblings | 3(Charles T. Wichrowski Jr., Walter) |
| Marital status | Married |
| Wife | Karen Gillis |
| Children | 3(Zack Larson, Jake, Delia) |
| Education | Norwin High School |
| Profession | Reality TV star, Navy veteran, commercial fisherman, captain |
| Net worth | $3 million |
| @Capt Wild Bill |
Who is Wild Bill from Deadliest Catch?
The American commercial fisherman was born on 24 May 1957 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, to his parents, Charles Thomas Wichrowski and Margaret C. During the Korean War, his father worked in the army as a drill instructor at Parris Island in South Carolina.
William grew up alongside his elder brothers, Charles T. Wichrowski Jr. and Walter. He attended Norwin High School. The Pittsburgh native began his career in the American Navy in 1975 and served as an electrician’s mate at naval stations in California, Idaho, and Washington State.
He left the military in 1979 and shortly transitioned into commercial fishing as an Alaska king crab fisherman. Wichrowski later rose through the ranks and became a captain. He has since captained several boats, including F/V Arctic Eagle and F/V Kodiak.
Besides commercial fishing, Bill is also a reality TV star. He is renowned for his roles in popular TV series like Deadliest Catch: Inside the Catch (2012) and Deadliest Catch: Greenhorn (2018). Additionally, he served in the additional crew department on the 2016 TV movie Deadliest Catch: Legend of the Wizard.
What happened to Wild Bill from Deadliest Catch?
Wild Bill from Deadliest Catch is battling prostate cancer. Bill’s cancer diagnosis was first revealed to the public in 2023 during the finale of the 19th season of the Deadliest Catch.
He has since made the bold decision to document his experience with prostate cancer on the show’s season 20. A clip from the show has a doctor informing the American celebrity about his prostate cancer condition.
During The Deadliest Catch season 20 preview in June 2024, the American captain disclosed his cancer diagnosis to help others in similar situations. He said,
If I can help save one or two people on this planet, that’s a good thing.
Wild Bill from Deadliest Catch cancer update
Wild Bill’s cancer treatment is going on well. According to Distractify, the Deadliest Catch star confirmed his cancer numbers were good while responding to one of his fans through a Facebook post in early 2024. He wrote,
My Cancer numbers are good. no energy from hormones but looks like on the back side of it for now.
Despite being diagnosed with cancer, Bill is in high spirits. He has even gone back out to sea. The navy veteran recently uploaded a video on the Deadliest Catch Facebook page during one of his real-life high-sea adventures as an Alaskan crab fisherman. He stated,
Wow. I never thought I’d be so excited about having a strong stream. It’s been a while since I could clear the steps, taking a leak at the back door. I started this treatment, and it’s supposed to soften up the prostrate cancer to make the cancer less aggressive. Obviously, there’s some success because I’m getting my stream back.
What happened to Wild Bill’s son?
The American captain was not on good terms with his son, Zack Larson. Zack is a captain, commercial fisherman and reality TV personality like his dad. He fell out with his father because Bill abandoned him and his mom during his childhood.
Both William and Zack joined the Deadliest Catch show in 2010 for season 6. Wild Bill’s son is no longer on Deadliest Catch. Larson has since reconciled with his father. In 2019, Zack expressed gratitude towards his dad for guiding him in his career on his Instagram account.
A lot of people have helped me get to this point in my career. My dad, @captainwildbill_official doesn’t get enough credit for that. Though the past few years have been strenuous on our relationship. We have also been working at getting back to what we had before.
He added,
I typically don’t share much anymore, but my dad was the first to call and tell me congratulations, say how proud he was of me, and offered any help he could if I run into problems on the boat. I’m looking forward to this next step in my career. Thanks for all the support out there over the years.
Apart from Zack, the popular veteran has also fathered two more children: a son, Jake, and a daughter, Delia. Wichrowski is currently married to Karen Gillis.
