Rick Ness said the grief after his mother’s death left him struggling for years, and that taking a year away from work gave him room to face it. In a September 2023 interview with PEOPLE, he described the difficult period behind his absence from Gold Rush and his return to mining with a much smaller financial base.
What happened to Rick Ness?
Ness told PEOPLE that he struggled in the months and years after his mother died of cancer in 2018, at age 55. He described having mental health issues and not knowing how to recognize or understand depression at the time. That is his account of his experience, not a reported clinical diagnosis.
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“The weight of the world can crush anybody, and I had to come to terms with that,” Ness told PEOPLE. His comments framed the year as more than a break from television: he needed time to process a personal loss while stepping away from the demands of his mining business.
Why did Rick Ness take a year off?
As PEOPLE reported in 2023, Ness took a year away from work and was largely absent from Gold Rush season 13. He said he spent time alone and tried to come to terms with his mother’s death. The break came at a cost to his business, but he viewed it as necessary for himself: “It was not good for business, but it was good for me.”
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Mining’s financial uncertainty added pressure. Ness described it as “easy come, easy go” and “a very fickle business.” His account makes clear that taking time away carried commercial consequences; it does not establish that the break resolved his mental health struggles.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How did Rick Ness return to mining?
By Gold Rush season 14 in 2023, Ness was back in the mining business with little money in the bank. PEOPLE reported that he rebuilt with secondhand equipment, help from his friend Brian “Zee” Zaremba, and money from selling his mother’s house. The interview presents these as parts of his effort to restart, not as evidence that the business had already recovered.
Ness said he chose to speak openly about his journey because it might help someone else: “So I chose to share it [my journey], because it’s part of me, and if it helps somebody else, then that’s a good thing.”
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
- A lone prospector ventures into Alaska looking for gold. He gets mixed up with some burly characters and falls in love with the beautiful Georgia. He tries to win her heart with his singular charm.Running Time: 69 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:�COMEDY Rating:�NR Age:�085393764326 UPC:�085393764326 Manufacturer No:�37643
Rank #3
How the story continued after the 2023 interview
| Period | What Ness discussed or was reported | What the account establishes |
|---|---|---|
| 2023: season 14 return | Grief, mental health struggles, time away, and rebuilding his mining operation. | Ness’s account in the PEOPLE interview; personal experience rather than independent verification. |
| 2024: season 15 | In a TV Insider interview, Ness described uncertainty over a water license at Duncan Creek. He said he had paid 90% of the land-package cost and faced a decision about the remaining 10%. | Those percentages describe Ness’s account of that investment decision, not an audited financial record. |
| October 2, 2026: season 17 premiere | A TV Insider recap reported that Ness described sleepwalking and hitting his head after a fall. A nurse practitioner recommended an overnight sleep study. | The recap reports symptoms and a recommendation for further evaluation. It does not confirm a diagnosis or say that the study was completed. |
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