‘Below Deck’: Captain Lee Shares the Sweet Meaning Behind the Memorial Tattoo of His Son
Captain Lee Rosbach from Below Deck marked a heartbreaking anniversary with a tattoo one year after his son Josh’s death. The tattoo features his son’s image along with the quote, “Where’s Josh?”
Rosbach shared a photo of the sketch the artist transferred to his chest. “Getting started at High Spirits Tattoo with the man Darian. I’ll keep y’all posted as we move along,” he shared on Instagram before the inking began.
He later revealed the finished body art, along with the meaning behind the inscription.
Captain Lee shared why he added, ‘Where’s Josh?’
Rosbach revealed the finished product. “Ok, finished product. Thanks so much @high_spirits_tattoo_co for going above and beyond. You’re the best. Will be better after healing, but our son is now where he should be and will always be, in my heart,” he wrote on Instagram.
A fan asked on Twitter about the meaning behind the tattoo’s caption. “When our son Josh would come over for Holidays, his birthday, family gatherings, he’d go missing for a period of time. Anyone who has a family member that’s addicted knows what I’m talking about. So we’d ask “Where’s Josh” It’s a family thing. We still love and miss him terribly,” he replied.
“But we know now where he is and we know he is safe and not suffering and free from his demons,” he continued. “Now you have the story behind the quote. It was a great question, and one I don’t mind answering. Thanks.”
‘Below Deck’ cast and crew send their love
Many crew members from both Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean shared messages of love on Rosbach’s Instagram posts. “Absolutely beautiful, love it and you🤍,” Kasey Cohen from Below Deck Med wrote on the finished image.
Courtney Skippon from Below Deck simply wrote, “Love you 💕. ” Anastasia Surmava from Below Deck Med added, “this is wonderful. Sending all my love and positive energy to you and your beloved.” Before the artist started inking Rosbach, Kelley Johnson from Below Deck shared, “Best of luck Captain! Hope it’s not painful and it goes smoothly.”
“What a beautiful tribute, Lee. He will forever be with you❤️,” executive producer Nadine Rajabi wrote. Other Bravolebs offered love to Rosbach too. “What she said! 😭😭😭😭😭😭,” Mercedes Javid from Shahs of Sunset wrote after Rajabi’s message. “Also, the caption makes me smile.” Patricia Altschul from Southern Charm, who has become friends with Rosbach through the years also shared a message of comfort. “What a perfect tribute…sending much love to you and Mary Anne.”
Captain Lee lost his son to an opioid overdose
Rosbach shared the news of his son’s death last year. He also opened up about his son Josh’s lengthy struggle with addiction. Josh Rosbach died on July 22, 2019 at age 42 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Rosbach recalled his son as being a “gentle and kind soul.” He was “loved by everyone he came into contact with and never met a stranger.”
Below Deck was on filming hiatus so Rosbach was able to spend time with his son before he died. Rosbach said he thought his son had turned a corner with his addiction and was improving. “He’d got himself a car. He was working,” Rosbach told Page Six. “We thought we might have hit a milestone.” But one morning Rosbach went to visit his son and found him dead in his apartment. “I walked in and he was sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands, and I thought he had just passed out,” Rosbach recalled. He momentarily “felt relieved and thought he was fine.” But then, “Then I went over to give him a hug, and he was cold. He’d gone.”
The Rosbach’s also marked their son’s passing with a memorial ring for wife Mary Anne. “We took my brides wedding ring, had the center diamond replaced with a heart with some of Josh’s ashes placed inside the heart and his name inscribed on the outside and then soldered shut,” Rosbach shared on Instagram along with a photo of the ring. “This way Mary Anne can keep a part of him with her always.”
