What happened to Below Deck’s Captain Lee’s son? Situation explained

Below Deck star Captain Lee Rosbach’s son Joshua passed away due to a drug overdose in July 2019. Here’s everything we know about the situation.

Captain Lee Rosbach has starred on Below Deck since Season 1, and fans loved his no-nonsense attitude and hilarious one-liners on the show.

Ahead of Below Deck Season 11, it was announced that Captain Lee wouldn’t be returning, and he was replaced by Captain Kerry Titheradge from Below Deck Adventure.

The Below Deck fan-favorite still made his presence known on Bravo by appearing in his own series with Kate Chastain called Couch Talk with Captain Lee and Kate.

There are rumors about Captain Lee coming back for Below Deck Season 12, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

Instagram: captain_lee_rosbach

What happened to Captain Lee’s son Joshua?

On July 29, 2019, Captain Lee shared on Instagram that his son Joshua Lee Rosbach sadly died of an accidental drug overdose at 42 years old.

“This past Saturday, my beloved wife Mary Anne and I laid our youngest son, Joshua Lee Rosbach to rest. After a twenty-year struggle, he finally succumbed to the demons he fought so long and so hard,” the Below Deck alum wrote.

“We loved Josh unconditionally and were proud of the man he had become in spite of his problems. There was no one I ever knew who gave more of himself to those in his life,” he added. “He loved with all his being without expecting anything in return. We both feel a hole in our souls that will never be filled.”

In the post, Captain Lee encouraged his followers not to pray for his son, and to instead help others get the resources they need to fight addiction.

According to The Mirror, Captain Lee’s son Joshua also had a career in yachting and worked on boats as a First Mate.

In November 2021, he revealed on Watch What Happens Live that he was planning to convert a barge into a rehab center to help those at sea who are battling addiction. The facility helps people get clean and gives them tools for employment once they are released.

Captain Lee used his son’s death to create a safe space to make sure other families could avoid going through the same heartbreak.