Richard Harrison also known as “The Old Man” from History Channel’s series Pawn Stars died Monday morning. According to his son Rick Harrison (the co-star to Pawn Stars), he died after a long battle against Parkinson’s Disease. He was 77. Rick posted two Instagram posts. both of which he announces his father’s death. He also says his heart felt good-byes and writes how important his father is to him.
What is interesting about his nickname “The Old Man,” is that he got it when he was only 38.
Here are the two Instagram posts:
The History Channel also released a statement saying, “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.”
Pawn Stars first aired on July 2009. It featured multiple local experts who visited the shop. They helped give evaluation on particular items that were brought to the store. Richard was predominantly the comic relief in the series. He had this funny bad-temperedness about him. He was the type to poke fun at not only his son, grandson (Corey), and family friend Austin Russell (Chumlee) but also everyone who worked in the shop.
Richard was a Navy veteran, but many fans of his have seen him in his clean black suit and fedora. Him and his son Rick first opened the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas in 1989, but they were originally from San Diego, California. When the series started it focused on their family business and the Harrisons’ interactions with their customers, which brought a wide variety of items. As of right now, the show is on its 15th season. It is the network’s highest-rated show and the No. 2 reality show behind MTV’s Jersey Shore.
Based on the statement posted from the business’s Facebook page, funeral services are still in the works and no plans have been set as of yet.