RIP, John French

Legendary Lee County alligator trapper John French has died in the saddle:

John French, responsible for trapping thousands of alligators that threatened residents in Lee and Charlotte counties, died of a heart attack he suffered while securing his latest catch.

French, 63, was attempting to trap an 8-foot alligator at Hunters Ridge Country Club in Bonita Springs late Monday when he suffered a massive heart attack, family members and wildlife officials said.

The North Fort Myers resident died shortly before 6 a.m. Tuesday at HealthPark Medical Center, not far from a pond where he caught and killed an alligator that mauled a 20-year-old Georgia woman to death in September 2004.

French was a state-licensed alligator trapper since 1986 in the nuisance alligator program and one of about 30 trappers in Florida, officials said.

“My daddy had a heart of gold, and he was brave,” said his daughter Dawn Hansen, of North Fort Myers.

Hansen said her father’s heart attack began while French was on the back of the reptile. He had just finished taping its mouth and eyes shut, she said.

His was a hard, time-consuming job that didn't bring in a whole lot of money. He used his skills to keep the public safe and will be missed.

Two years ago, after pulling the body parts of Michelle Reeves out of one gator, French said, "When you have to do something like that and then you have to listen to some Yankee who's seen Steve Irwin on television and knows all about alligators, if you're not careful you can get perturbed."