Duck Dynasty‘s patriarch Phil Robertson has passed away at 79 years old. Born Phil Alexander Robertson in Vivian, Louisiana, he persevered humble conditions, which he chronicled in his book Happy, Happy, Happy.
In the memoir, Robertson detailed how he and his six siblings grew up without electricity, a toilet, or bathtub. Furthermore, they subsisted on meat they hunted, cattle they raised, and produce they grew themselves.
Despite not being financially affluent, Phil has fond memories of his childhood. “It was the 1950s when I was a young boy. But we lived like it was the 1850s…we were always happy…no matter the circumstances.”
Phil Robertson early life
The Duck Dynasty founder was an accomplished athlete in high school. Phil excelled in track, baseball, and football, which garnered him a scholarship to attend Louisiana Tech in Ruston.
He was the Bulldogs’ first-string quarterback, just ahead of NFL legend and 4-time Super Bowl winner Terry Bradshaw. While Phil’s playing prowess was purportedly high enough to garner pro league interest, his interest was in hunting.
Bradshaw said that Phil “loved hunting more than he loved football. He’d come to practice directly from the woods, squirrel tails hanging out of his pockets.” The Pittsburgh Steelers icon added that Phil would also have “duck feathers on his clothes.”
Additionally, Robertson stated that he primarily played football as a means of going to college. It’s even been said that he declined an offer to play for the Washington Redskins because it interfered with his hunting.
Phil said of his NFL potential: “Terry went for the bucks, and I chased after the ducks.” He’d go on to get a bachelor’s degree in physical education, and a Master’s in education.
Duck Commander builds a dynasty
After graduating, Phil would go on to teach before getting into the commercial fishing industry. Following this, he ran a bar in the mid-70s, but his passion was always in hunting.
It was this enthusiasm for the outdoors that led him to develop his own duck call device. This led to the creation of the Duck Commander, which he patented and incorporated in 1973.
Its success spawned a multi-million dollar business which became the basis of the hit A&E series Duck Dynasty. The show aired for 11 seasons on the cable network from March 2012 to April 2017.
A YahooI Finance article on Phil’s son, Willie, also sheds some light on just how profitable Duck Commander is. According to the outlet, he’s got a net worth of $45 million from sales of the duck calling device. Additionally, speaking engagements, show merchandise, and TV appearances help to bolster his wealth.
Phil Robertson’s cause of death linked to Alzheimer’s?
On May 25th, 2025, Willie, along with his wife Korie confirmed Phil’s passing with an Instagram post steeped in religious verbiage.
While the reason for his passing wasn’t confirmed, in December of 2024 Phil’s other son, Jase, shared that he was battling Alzheimer’s. According to him, the disease was “causing problems with his entire body.”
Jase went on to state on the Robertson Family’s podcast that his father was afflicted with “some sort of blood disease.” While heavily featured in the show’s first four seasons, Phil would return on and off in a recurring capacity throughout the rest of Duck Dynasty‘s episodes.
Phil’s death occurred just three days before the premiere of Duck Dynasty: The Revival. The spin-off series chronicles Willie and Korie’s running of the Duck Commander brand and their family life. A&E preemptively bought 40 episodes (2 seasons) of the ancillary Duck Dynasty show.
The Robertson family held a private service to honor the Duck Commander patriarch. However, Willie and Korie Robertson said that a “public celebration of his life” will take place soon.
Leave a Reply