John Schnabel, the 94-year-old costar of the Discovery Channel reality show "Gold Rush," is battling cancer but is "doing well," his grandson Parker Schnabel said on Facebook Saturday.
The terms "John Schnabel dead" starting trending on Twitter, AOL and other social media websites a few days ago, as fans expressed concern for the elderly Alaskan gold miner.
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Parker Schnabel, Schnabel's grandson and a costar on "Gold Rush," posted on Facebook that the family just celebrated his 94th birthday and he is "doing well."
The post had more than 27,000 likes and 3,500 comments as of Monday morning.
"That is such great news Parker Schnabel," wrote Tina Korn. "It is so nice to see a young man honor his Grandfather the way you do. The amount of respect you have for him is awesome to see."
Another Facebook poster, Bill Cook, added: "That is awesome Parker Schnabel. I hope he makes a full recovery and we all get to see him on the show for many years to come. I have to admit I had a tear in my eye last night when you showed your grandpa your 1029oz of gold and what he said about it. Congrats on such a great season and can't wait to see the new shows next year."
It was Schnabel who got his grandson, now 19, into the mining business. Parker Schnabel is putting off college as he hones his skills,
according to the young Schnabel's Discovery Channel bio.
"Parker is like an eagle leaving the nest," Schnabel said of his grandson, per his Discovery Channel bio. "He will either soar this season or crash to the ground."
"Gold Rush," a reality series about mining gold in Alaska, is in its fourth season on Discovery.
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