Louisiana Duck Hunting Legend Phil Robertson Passes Away at 79

Phil Robertson, who rose from obscurity in the swamps of northern Louisiana to world-wide prominence as a duck call maker and reality TV personality, died on Sunday, May 25, 2025 at the age of 79.

So immense was the impact of this self-described duck hunting "river rat," that Robertson was eulogized on every major news platform in the hours that followed, including Fox News (Link), the Washington Post (Link), and even GQ and People magazines.

While no cause of death was listed, Robertson had seen his health deteriorate in recent months after having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2024.

His death was first announced online by the Robertson family (Link), who posted the following statement:

“We celebrate today that our father, husband, and grandfather, Phil Robertson, is now with the Lord. 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.

“Thank you for the love and prayers of so many whose lives have been impacted by his life saved by grace, by 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.

“The Robertson Family, 1st Corinthians 2.”
 
So great is the impact of Phil Robertson that thousands of industry colleagues, business partners, and fans unleashed their own outpouring of condolences and remembrances on Facebook, Instagram, and X—Phil Robertson was a top trending topic on X for several hours after his death—thanks to a man who rewrote the script in many ways on outdoors television and industry celebrityhood.

Columbus, Ga. camouflage maker Realtree, one of Duck Commander’s sponsors in recent years, posted a photo of Phil reading his Bible in Realtree camo, along with the comment that said (Link):

“Phil Robertson’s legacy runs deep in faith, family, and the outdoors. He stood strong in his beliefs, lived simply, and inspired millions to do the same. His voice echoed far beyond the duck blind and his impact will never fade. Rest easy, Phil. You’ll be missed but never forgotten. #Realtree #Duck Commander.”

Tyler Jordan, son of Realtree founder Bill Jordan and vice president of the company, posted his own recollections (Link):

“Phil will always be a legend. Not just for the amazing hunter he is, but for the way he’s represented what it’s like to be a Christian and a family man. The Realtree and Jordan family are thankful for all Phil has done for us and our condolences to the entire Robertson family.

Mossy Oak Camo, the West Point, Mississippi camo company, posted another heartfelt statement on social media (Link), making duck calls in the company shop.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of an old friend and one of the pillars of the hunting community. With his faith, his family, his friends and his duck hunting, Phil Robertson was an exemplary man. He changed the world for the better, and he’ll be missed by many every morning in the woods. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Robertson family.”

Other tributes came in from sports figures, media members, best-selling authors, clergymen, and even political figures including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, and Donal Trump, Jr.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson posted:

“We’re praying for the Robertson family tonight & grateful for the extraordinary legacy of one of Louisiana’s favorite sons. We can’t know this side of Heaven how countless many people were impacted for eternity by Phil’s life and ministry. (Rom. 8:38-39)” (Link).
 
Even former White House press secretary and current Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, whose home state has several duck call making companies that compete with the Monroe, La. based Duck Commander, had heartfelt sentiment for Robertson (Link):

“Phil Robertson 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.”

So who was Phil Robertson, this long-bearded duck hunter and duck call maker who rose to fame from his river country home near Monroe, La. and became the patriarch of a popular reality TV show family, appeared on late night television shows, was written about in countless newspaper and magazine stories, stood in the presence of two U.S. Presidents, and lived simply along the way, even as a millionaire?
 
Phil Alexander Robertson was born in Vivian, LA, on April 24, 1946, the fifth of seven children of Merritt and James Robertson. Robertson's early life was one of poverty, living in the backwoods with no electricity in a log cabin house—now restored and owned by a family member—that had no toilet, no bathtub, and no electricity. The family lived off the land through garden grown fruits and vegetables and protein from livestock and white-tailed deer, squirrels, and fish taken in the outdoors.

"It was the 1950s when I was a young boy, but we lived like it was the 1850s," said Robertson in his book, Happy, Happy, Happy, a New York Times bestseller biography co-authored by Phil and Georgia-based sportswriter Mark Schlabach. "...but we were always happy, happy, happy no matter the circumstances."

Robertson would go on to become a star athlete in high school, earning all-state honors in football, baseball and track. He landed at Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La. in the late 1960s, becoming the Bulldogs' starting quarterback for two years, one of those in front of Terry Bradshaw, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, four time Super Bowl winner, and co-host of NFL on Fox. 
 
Despite some whispering that Robertson had his own future in the NFL, he walked away from the game after two seasons as a starter, choosing his Louisiana backwoods lifestyle and his lifelong hunting passion while Bradshaw would go on to find NFL stardom and celebrity. In a 2013 ESPN story, Robertson is quoted, "Terry went for the bucks, and I chased after the ducks." (Link.)
 
After walking away from the game as a starter in 1966 and 1967, Robertson—who married Marsha Kay Carroway in 1966, the family matriarch known worldwide as "Miss Kay"—would finish his education at Louisiana Tech, getting a bachelor's degree in physical education and a master's degree in education. That led to several years in the teaching profession.

In the mid-1970s, two very important things happened to Phil Robertson.

One was the birth of Duck Commander, something that happened when Robertson crafted his first Duck Commander duck call while searching for and whittling a duck call prototype that would perfectly duplicate the sound of a duck. When he received a patent for the wooden call, the Duck Commander duck call making company was born, incorporating in 1973.

As his Duck Commander biography states, the call was made for duck killers in the woods, not for competition style callers. "“No duck would even place in a duck calling contest," Robertson said.

While Robertson had given up his potential coaching and teaching career for his love of duck hunting, the early years of Duck Commander proved lean indeed as the family home become the production and distribution center for the calls. Initially, the waterfowl hunting industry spurned Robertson's "better duck call" and he and Miss Kay sold only $8,000 worth of calls in the company’s first year. Over the years that followed, Duck Commander began to gain traction however and eventually established itself as a player in the duck hunting industry.
 
The second important thing to happen to Robertson in the 1970s is described in his book Uncanceled. That life altering event happened when Robertson told of a barroom visit by a local pastor, urged to visit Phil by his sister.

Though Robertson admits to mocking them at first, he soon began to listen to the preacher’s message, eventually dedicating his life to the Christian faith.

"Thanks to my sister, Pastor Bill told me a story that rocked my world," said Robertson. "He told me that I was a sinner and I was condemned. But then he hit me with the big one: The Almighty cancelled my cancellation."

After his conversion experience, Robertson and his company would continue steadily on a path towards stability in the years that followed, becoming one of the first duck call manufacturers to see the potential of story telling and product marketing through videos on VHS tapes, and then DVDs. Thousands of hunters found themselves glued to their TV screens as they watched Phil in those early VHS and DVD productions, teaching hunters how to blow duck calls, kill ducks, and find a true passion for the joys of duck hunting.

As the fledgling Duckmen video series surged in popularity long before YouTube, the legend of the Duck Commander began to grow. So much so that the family eventually found themselves on a fast track to unsolicited stardom thanks to the hit reality TV show, Duck Dynasty, which ran for 11 seasons and 131 episodes fitting into the timeline of 2012-2017 (more than one season aired each year).

In his later years as the Duckmen and Duck Commander story was told, Robertson admitted in a YETI film about him that he was far from perfect, but his life had a solid foundation that made all the difference in the world. "I still make mistakes,” he said, “but they're not big ones like they used to be." (Link:)

Robertson was not without controversy in his later years. But even when he stood tall and firm and spoke his mind to the dislike of some, Robertson remained liked by millions and proved to be one of the most significant figures that the duck hunting world has ever seen, a Mount Rushmore figure who will likely never be equaled in the perfect storm of family, faith, ducks, television…and that legendary beard.

In the end, Phil Robertson was a simple man who refused to bow to culture. Never comfortable in the world’s spotlight, Robertson also wanted to be remembered differently than most.

"When I die, don't cry," Robertson once said. "Sing. Dance. But don't cry when I die. When I die you say, 'He made it.'"

He made it indeed, crossing a backwoods river to a home in eternity where the greenheads are always flying.

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