Phil Robertson, who rose to fame as the patriarch of the Robertson family on the hit reality show “Duck Dynasty,” has died, his family announced. He was 79.

“Thank you for the love and prayers of so many whose lives have been impacted by his life saved by grace, his bold faith, and by his desire to tell everyone who would listen the Good News of Jesus,” his family wrote on social media. “We are grateful for his life on earth and will continue the legacy of love for God and love for others until we see him again.”

A cause of death was not immediately given. Jase Roberton, one of Phil Robertson’s sons, revealed on the family’s podcast in December that his father was in the “early stages” of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Jase Robertson wrote on social media Sunday, “He will be missed but we know he is in good hands, and our family is good because God is very good! We will see him again!”

Phil Robertson’s granddaughter, Sadie Robertson Huff, wrote on Instagram, “One of the last things he said to me was ‘full strength ahead!’ Amen!”

Phil Robertson was a high school quarterback who would go on to play at Louisiana Tech, notably starting ahead of future four-time Super Bowl winner and Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw in both 1966 and 1967.

Phil Robertson would go on to create and patent the Duck Commander duck call, which also became the name of the company he incorporated in the early 1970s. In addition to duck calls, the company expanded into selling a variety of other products under other brand names, such as fishing equipment, deer calls and even truck accessories. Phil Robertson’s son, Willie Robertson, currently serves as the company’s CEO.

The A&E reality series “Duck Dynasty, which ran from 2012-2017, followed the lives of the members of the Robertson family, shooting them to fame.

Phil Robertson was briefly suspended by the network in 2013 when, in an interview with GQ magazine, he said homosexuality was “sinful” and mentioned it in connection with bestiality. A&E ultimately relented and ended his suspension without any episodes of the show being affected.

Phil Robertson and his family were outspoken conservatives. Phil Robertson initially backed Ted Cruz in the 2016 Republican primary, but eventually said he would support President Trump once he secured the party’s nomination. Phil Robertson also backed Mr. Trump over former President Biden in 2020.