Phil Robertson's journey from humble beginnings to 'Duck Dynasty' empire

Fox News

3 days ago

Phil Robertson died at 79 on Sunday following a health battle, but the Duck Commander founder's legacy goes back much further than his A&E reality series.
Robertson, a Louisiana native, founded the hunting company more than 50 years ago in 1972 following a college football career at Louisiana Tech where he was a starting quarterback before Terry Bradshaw took over for him.
"I said, 'Bradshaw, here's the deal. You're a big strong kid, you've got a strong arm and you want to play in the NFL and you want to play football," Robertson told the Ruston Daily Leader in 2021. "He said, 'That's right.' I said, 'I'm going after the ducks full time. I'd rather hunt ducks than have large violent men stomp me in the dirt . . . You go for it and I'll see you later.'"
In 2020, Robertson was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as an outdoorsman, the newspaper reported.
Robertson's Duck Commander empire includes duck calls, hunting videos and apparel.
His son Jase Robertson explained how the Duck Commander empire began.
"Dad was hunting on the (Arkansas-Louisiana) state line at Moss Lake in 1972 when his buddy told him he ought to manufacture the call because the ducks like them so much," he told the newspaper. "He told Dad, 'You don't just call the ducks; you command them.' That's where the Duck Commander started."
In his 2013 memoir "Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander," Robertson wrote about growing up with very little.
"I miss the times when life was simple," he wrote. "I came from humble, humble beginnings. When I was a young boy growing up in the far northwest corner of Louisiana, only about six miles from Texas and ten miles from Arkansas, we didn't have very much in terms of personal possessions. But even when times were the hardest, I never once heard my parents, brothers, or sisters utter the words "Boy, we're dirt-poor."
"I miss the times when life was simple. I came from humble, humble beginnings."
Robertson married his high school sweetheart, Miss Kay, in 1966, and they had four sons together as well as 16 grandchildren during their nearly 60 years of marriage.
Robertson also has a grown daughter from a decades-old affair in the 1970s.
He revealed five years ago that he found out he had a 45-year-old daughter, Phyllis, following a DNA test.
Robertson said after his son called and told him the DNA was a match, he immediately said "Bring her on down."
"It's a pretty cool explanation of redemption, reconciliation, love," Robertson said on his "Unashamed" podcast at the time. "As it turns out, 45 years, you have a daughter that you don't know about, and she has a father she doesn't know about. Forty-five years, that doesn't sound like very long, but you say, that's a while. So finally, after all those years, we come together."
Robertson's sons with Miss Kay include Alan, 60, Jase, 55, Willie, 53, and Jules, 46.
The Robertson family became household names in 2012 when they became the subject of the A&E reality series "Duck Dynasty." The last episode aired in 2017.
Along with "Duck Dynasty," Robertson also made the series "Duck Commander" for the Outdoor Channel and his life was the subject of a 2023 movie "The Blind: The True Story of the Robertson Family."
Robertson had been open about how he discovered faith in the mid-1970s, telling Fox News Digital in 2019 he was living recklessly and in need of salvation.
"Until I was 28 I didn't have any faith," Robertson told Fox News. "Here I am biblically speaking — God said I was under the control of the evil one. I didn't know that. I was just getting high and drunk with the worst of them. … I had built a track record that was not a good one. I then realized, 'What was I thinking? All that mischief and carrying on.' … I came to know Jesus. I looked up one day and I said, 'Man, I'm driven to do this. I have to do it.'"
In his 2019 book "The Theft of America's Soul," he called for bringing religion back into American culture, but he admitted he had to hit rock bottom before he accepted God as his personal savior.
"At first I'm trying to be good," he explained. "I'm learning how to be good. My friends would come by, my old buddies, and they would say, 'Let's go for a ride. Drive up the road.' I said, 'Nah.' My faith was being tested. … I just broke away from them. … I will say I got an unlisted phone number and I hid out the first year while I was getting on my spiritual feet. That was 44 years ago. Well, the further I have gone on my walk of faith, the more faithful I have become."
He said he has since devoted his life to helping others.
"[My wife and I] go to them. The rehabs. The prisons. The downtrodden. The ones that no one would give a hoot about. The homeless," he said. "When we meet together we have food. We meet together on Sunday mornings. … People who sleep under bridges can come in. [And we] get them a good meal. … [It's] all God's children coming together."
Last December, his son Jase revealed on their "Unashamed" podcast that Phil was in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. He said at the time that he also had some kind of blood disease that had yet to be diagnosed but is "causing all kinds of problems."
On Sunday, his family celebrated his life after confirming he had died.
"We celebrate today that our father, husband, and grandfather, Phil Robertson, is now with the Lord," his daughter-in-law Korie Robertson wrote on Instagram.
"He reminded us often of the words of Paul, 'you do not grieve like those who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him."
She added, "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. 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."
Jase wrote on X: "My dad has gone to be with the Lord today! 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!"
The "Duck Dynasty" X account wrote: "We are saddened to hear of the passing of Phil Robertson, a hunting industry pioneer and the patriarch of the beloved Robertson family. Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time. We extend our deepest condolences and respect their privacy as they grieve."
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who represents Louisiana, wrote that he was grateful for the "extraordinary legacy of one of Louisiana's favorite sons," saying that countless people had been impacted by his life and ministry.
"I'm sorry to hear that Phil Robertson passed away," Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X. "Many prayers for his family. He shared his faith journey in a movie called the Blind, one of the best."
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote that he was a "living example of what God can do in all of our lives if we follow Him. He was a bright light for the world to see. Bryan and I are praying for the whole Robertson crew tonight."
His son Willie shared a tribute on his Instagram, writing in part: "He taught me many things in life and most without ever saying a word. I watched him, and knew he had figured out so many things. Most importantly, he taught me the value of sharing my faith with others. He was the Real Deal, the same on Sundays as Fridays. Most of our conversations were not about hunting or business, but about sharing the Gospel."
He said the last words his father told him before he died was: "You're my brother."
"It made total sense to me. He always told me we were coworkers in the Kingdom of God," Willie wrote. "Maybe that's why I always just called him Phil … Sleep well Dad, can't wait to see you."