Passes away after seizure on the bayou
Mitchell Guist, a star of the TV show Swamp People, died Monday in Louisiana.
Mitchell Guist was pronounced dead at the hospital after having an apparent seizure and falling on his boat. It is unclear whether the seizure was the result of the fall or a medical condition.
According to Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack, another man who was with Mitchell Guist in the boat towed both his boat and Mitchell Guist’s boat back to the landing and called 911. The man also performed CPR.
Swamp People, which airs on the History Channel, follows several Cajuns through their daily lives on the bayous of Louisiana where they hunt alligators for a living.
Mitchell Guist and his brother, Glenn Guist, were partners in the alligator hunting business. According to their bio on history.com, “Glenn and Mitchell Guist were born and raised on the bayou and lived entirely off the land. These brothers were always up to something, whether it was hunting for their dinner or making use of everything nature has to offer.”
The History Channel released a statement Monday on their website to convey their sympathy for the Guist family.
“We are extremely saddened to report that our friend and beloved member of the Swamp People family, Mitchell Guist, 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.”
Of the 20 cast members of Swamp People listed on the show’s page on history.com, several are family members, but Glenn and Mitchell Guist are the only two pictured together and that share a biography.
Each season, Swamp People focuses on five teams of alligator hunters. Although the show is primarily about alligator hunting, episodes often feature other aspects of social and family life on the bayou.
