Royal Caribbean International’s President and CEO, Michael Bayley, announced that Captain Ron Holmes has passed away.

Bayley informed the public of Holmes’ passing on his official Facebook page on March 25.

“Very sad news with the passing of Captain Ron. He will be sadly missed by so many,” the statement reads.

Bayley also shared the note Captain Ron’s wife, Carol Tomandl, wrote on the passing of her husband.

Tomandl wrote: “It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I inform you that Ron died here at our home in Canada last evening. He died peacefully with me and our dog Winnie by his side. Ron loved his job and wasn’t afraid to say that. As captain, I know that he loved, protected and had great respect for all of the crew that traveled from all over the world and all walks of life to work on ships.

“He took his job seriously and safety was always his priority. Thank you for supporting him through his cancer treatment and return to work. I know it meant the world to him to get back on board and carry on. We had an extraordinary life together and I thank Royal Caribbean, in part, for that.

“Please release a statement fleetwide informing all that he died of cancer as he did not want any speculation as to his demise.”

Donations in his name can be made to:

Hospice and Palliative Care Manitoba, Canada – https://palliativemanitoba.ca

Animal Humane Society – https://www.animalhumanesociety.org