'Pawn Stars' Richard 'Old Man' Harrison dies at 77

Las Vegas reality star dies and his son grieves on Instagram

Fans of Pawn Stars, a reality TV series on the History Channel filmed in Las Vegas at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop were shocked to learn that Richard 'Old Man' Harrison had passed away at 77 from a post on Instagram. shared by his son, Rick

Viewers got used to Harrison's pithy humor and strong character as the patriarch of the family and owner of Pawn Shop, a 24-hour family business.

The Shop was founded by Harrison in 1989, and later the day to day operations passed to his son Rick Harrison, Rick's son Corey "Big Hoss" Harrison, and Corey's childhood friend, Austin "Chumlee" Russell.

When the reality show focused on the Shop and the clients who bring in their treasures to trade for cash premiered in 2009, it became an instant success.

"He will be tremendously missed by our family, the team at Gold & Silver Pawn and his many fans the world over. He was my hero and I was fortunate to get a very cool 'Old Man' as my dad."

Rick Harrison, Instagram. 25th of June 2018.

Rick spoke about his sorrow at his father's loss, as well as his gratitude and his pride in being his son. He revealed that his father had passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones.

Rick did reveal that his father had lost his long battle with Parkinson's Disease, that being the reason that Harrison's appearances on the show were few and far between in the last two years.

Read more about "Pawn Stars" on our Twitter account @amomama_usa.

A spokesperson for the History Channel expressed deep sadness at the loss of "our friend Richard ‘The Old Man’ Harrison, a beloved member of the HISTORY and ‘Pawn Stars’ family".

The spokesperson went on to say that he will be missed for his wisdom and his humor. Harrison had served in the US Navy and often spoke about his years in the service, sharing amusing stories and anecdotes on the show.