Richard Harrison, known as ‘The Old Man’ on ‘Pawn Stars’ has died at age 77

Richard Harrison, known as ‘The Old Man” on the History Channel reality show “Pawn Stars,” has died at the age of 77. Harrison’s son and co-star on the show, Rick Harrison, confirmed the news on Instagram. He shared a statement saying his father died on the morning of June 25, surrounded by those he loved.

“He was my hero and I was fortunate to get a very cool ‘Old Man’ as my dad,” Rick wrote. “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.”

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Born in 1941, Richard Harrison served in the U.S. Navy and later entered the real estate market. But success eluded him and eventually lost $1 million, so he moved his family to Las Vegas for a new start. It was there that he opened the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in 1988, learning “a little about a lot really fast,” according to his bio on show’s website. Harrison eventually turned his initial $10,000 investment into a multi-million dollar business.

Rick shared another, younger photo of his father in his Navy uniform on Instagram. In the caption, he revealed that his father’s death was a result of a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, writing, “Today I lost a friend, a father, a teacher and so much more…See you on the other side.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkc6yKGB3C9/?taken-by=rick_harrison

The History Channel issued a statement following the news of his death, writing on Facebook:

“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.”

“The Old Man” could accurately gauge the value of nearly anything, “from Rolex watches to antique cars,” according to the History Channel. He also had wisdom in other, more hilarious areas of life, too — like that rice cakes aren’t rice and are definitely not cakes (LOL!).

Check out some of his other “wisdom” in the “Pawn Stars” clip below:

Our condolences are with Richard Harrison’s family and all those who knew him. The family requested donations be made to The Epilepsy Foundation in his name in memoriam.