James Harness, an Original 'Gold Rush' Star, Dies at 57

James Harness, one of the original stars of the Discovery Channel reality series "Gold Rush," was buried in Oregon on Saturday, a week after he died and two weeks after suffering a stroke.

The website Celebrity Café reported that Harness suffered from health problems, which had been discussed on "Gold Rush" episodes over the first two seasons. The 57-year-old dealt with severe back pain as a result of a spine injury he sustained in a car accident, according to the website.

TMZ reported that family members said Harness suffered a stroke a week before died.

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"Harness – who lived in Oregon – had serious medical issues, including back injuries from a car accident that crippled him with pain," reported TMZ. "He also had a serious addiction problem with pain pills, which triggered problems on the show. We're told he wasn't showing up for work and became so unreliable he was fired during season 2."

Some of the show's cohosts and fans remembered Harness on social media.

@goldrushtodd my thoughts and prayers go out for #jamesharness's family

— Tyler Stump (@stumptyler16) July 6, 2014

RIP #jamesharness from #goldrush

— charles grant (@charlesgrant8) July 5, 2014

@TMZ @CAllstadt Sad to hear about #JamesHarness #GoldRush RIP He put the constant pain behind him-and got on with the job

— Joseph daniel foster (@DanielDanny4755) July 4, 2014

"Gold Rush" appeared on the Discovery Channel as "Gold Rush: Alaska" in 2010, following miners from Sandy, Oregon, as they learned how to mind gold in Porcupine Creek, Alaska, according to TV Ruckus. The crew would later move to the Yukon and, most recently, South America.

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