Richard Harrison, who starred on the popular History Channel reality show “Pawn Stars,” died Monday morning after a long bout with Parkinson’s.
He was 77.
A rep for the Harrison family confirmed the death to USA Today and released this statement:
We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend Richard “The Old Man” Harrison, a beloved member of the HISTORY and “Pawn Stars” family. He will be greatly missed for his wisdom and candor. Our thoughts are with the Harrison family during this difficult time.
Known as the “Old Man” on the show, Harrison’s kind yet curmudgeonly demeanor put him at comical odds with his son, Rick, his grandson, Corey, and co-worker Austin “Chumlee” Russell.
“Today I lost a friend, a father, a teacher and so much more,” Rick Harrison wrote in an Instagram post Monday.
A post shared by Rick Harrison (@rick_harrison) on Jun 25, 2018 at 7:58am PDT
Born in North Carolina, Richard Harrison served 20 years in the U.S. Navy, where he attained the rank of first-class petty officer before being discharged in the mid-1970s, according to Fox News.
After getting out of the military, Richard Harrison attempted to make money in real estate during the 1980s, only to lose 1 million dollars in the process.
Instead, he uprooted his family and moved to Las Vegas, where he opened the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in 1988, according to the History Channel website.
A post shared by Rick Harrison (@rick_harrison) on Jun 25, 2018 at 6:57am PDT
The shop was successful, but became world-famous after “Pawn Stars” premiered in 2009. The show featured the “Old Man” and other employees negotiating over the unusual and rare items brought by customers to the store.
Though Richard Harrison dealt with Parkinson’s at the end of his life, retirement was never an option, he told car outlet Hagerty in 2012.
Richard Harrison, the curmudgeonly patriarch of the "Pawn Stars" family whose grumbling about the goings-on in the Las Vegas shop he ran with his son and grandson made him a reality TV star, has died at 77.
"Richard Benjamin ‘The Old Man’ Harrison passed away this morning surrounded by those he loved. He will be tremendously missed by our family, the team at Gold & Silver Pawn and his many fans the world over," Rick Harrison told Fox News. "He was my hero and I was fortunate to get a very cool ‘Old Man’ as my dad. That I got to share him with so many others and they got to see what a great family man he was is something I am grateful to have experienced with him. He lived a very full life and through the History television show ‘Pawn Stars’ touched the lives of people all over teaching them the value of loving your family, hard work and humor. We appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers and ask that we are provided some privacy at this time."
A post shared by Rick Harrison (@rick_harrison) on Jun 25, 2018 at 6:57am PDT
A statement from the Gold & Silver Pawn shop added that "he was surrounded by loving family this past weekend and went peacefully."
Harrison's grandson Corey reflected on his relationship with his grandfather.
"I was lucky enough to spend 15 years of my life working with the old man. He wasn’t just a grandfather, he was truly a best friend as well. I’m truly blessed to have had him as a mentor."
A post shared by Corey Harrison (@realcoreyharrison) on Jun 25, 2018 at 7:38am PDT
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend Richard ‘The Old Man’ Harrison, a beloved member of the HISTORY and ‘Pawn Stars’ family," the History Channel told us. "He will be greatly missed for his wisdom and candor. Our thoughts are with the Harrison family during this difficult time."
The Navy veteran opened the Gold & Silver Pawn store with his son Rick in 1988. The family patriarch initially put his money into the real estate market but changed course after he lost a million dollars. He moved to Las Vegas and put $10,000 in the pawn shop and saw his investment grow into a multimillion dollar company, complete with a reality show.
The Harrisons and their pawn shop rose to fame on the hit History Channel series "Pawn Stars," which premiered in 2009 and has been on the air for 15 seasons.
Harrison opened up about the prospect of retirement in a 2012 interview with Hagerty.
"I think retirement is overrated for anyone," the "Old Man" said. "Peoples (sic) asked me many times, 'Well Richard, when are you going to retire?' I tell them the day that I walk through that door and it's not fun, I'll quit. It's still fun for me."
Rick Harrison spoke to Fox News in January about the success he and his father have had ahead of the series' 500th episode.
"It's interesting to look back at how Gold & Silver has evolved over the course of these 500 episodes," Rick told us in January. "When 'Pawn Stars' started, the shop was averaging about 70 people a day, and now, we average thousands. We've also gone from 10 employees to over 50. It’s been an incredible ride."
Richard Harrison is survived by his wife JoAnne and their three sons, Joseph, Rick and Chris.
Richard Benjamin Harrison -- known to millions of "Pawn Stars" fans as "The Old Man" -- has died, according to a post on the official Facebook page for Las Vegas' Gold and Silver Pawn shop, the setting for the hit reality show. He was 77 years old.
"The Old Man" is the father to Rick Harrison, who is the main star of the show and the current leader of the shop, often teaching viewers about the ins and outs of the pawn business.
"It is with heavy hearts that we acknowledge the passing of Richard Benjamin Harrison...this morning," the post began Monday. "He was surrounded by loving family this past weekend and went peacefully."
"The team at Gold & Silver Pawn and the Pawn Stars family is grieving his loss," the post continued. "He will be remembered as the best father, grandfather and great-grandfather you could have, by his family and by fans as the sometimes grumpy (always loving, however), often wisecracking, and voice of absolute reason on the History [Channel] television show 'Pawn Stars.' Services are pending and the family appreciates your prayers and kind words."
No more details about his death were given. The popular show airs on History Channel.
A&E Network
The elder Harrison was U.S. Navy veteran in his younger days, and bought the now-famous pawn shop back in 1988, according to the History Channel.
The extended Harrison clan, which also included Rick's son Cory Harrison (The Old Man's grandson) and Cory's childhood friend Austin "Chumlee" Russell, first brought its wheelings and dealings to the small screen in 2009.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend Richard ‘The Old Man’ Harrison, a beloved member of the HISTORY and @pawnstars family. He will be greatly missed for his wisdom and candor. Our thoughts are with the Harrison family during this difficult time pic.twitter.com/2lPb3jUazf — HISTORY (@HISTORY) June 25, 2018
The show has since become a family affair. 'The Old Man' would often playfully joke about his son on the show and roll his eyes at the mischief his grandson and friend Chumlee would get into while working there.
A & E Network
History Channel released a statement of its own, mourning the elder Harrison's death.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend Richard ‘The Old Man’ Harrison, a beloved member of the HISTORY and @pawnstars family," the statement read. "He will be greatly missed for his wisdom and candor. Our thoughts are with the Harrison family during this difficult time."
