Phil Robertson was the bearded patriarch of the Duck Dynasty reality TV family, a professional duck hunter, and co-founder of Duck Commander, a multimillion-dollar duck-call company

A college football star at Louisiana Tech University, he played quarterback ahead of NFL legend Terry Bradshaw but chose hunting over a potential pro career

Invented the Duck Commander duck call in 1972, building it into a thriving family business later managed by his son Willie

Rose to fame on A&E’s Duck Dynasty (2012–2017), which became cable’s most-watched nonfiction series, drawing 12 million viewers at its peak

Suspended from Duck Dynasty in 2013 for anti-LGBTQ+ remarks in a GQ interview but reinstated after fan backlash

A vocal Evangelical Christian and conservative, he endorsed politicians like Ted Cruz and Donald Trump and linked his redemption to religious faith

Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and a blood disease in 2024, he died on May 25, 2025, at 79. His family cited his declining health but did not disclose the exact cause