Pray for Phil Robertson, ‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease

Phil Robertson, patriarch of the Robertson family, founder of Duck Commander and star of Duck Dynasty, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The 78-year-old hunter, businessman and preacher has four sons with his wife, Kay Robertson: Al, Jase, Willie and Jep. Phil also has a daughter named Phyliss, whom he first met a few years ago.

Phil, alongside Al, Jase, and his nephew Zach, are the hosts of the podcast, “Unashamed with the Robertson Family.”

In Friday’s episode, Jase revealed Phil’s diagnosis.

“Phil’s not doing well. I think I spoke on the 1,000th podcast, we were trying to figure out the diagnosis, but according to the doctors, he has some sort of blood disease causing all kinds of problems,” Jase said, adding,

It’s like accelerated, and it’s causing problems with his entire body. And he has early stages of Alzheimer’s. So, if you put those things together, he’s really not doing well. He’s struggling.

Phil, originally a large part of the “Unashamed” podcast, hasn’t been on the show in recent weeks.

Jase revealed that Phil is “unable to sit down and have a conversation,” and said that his father can barely walk around without “crying out in pain.”

“He misses it. He misses the stories we tell,” Jase said of the podcast.

After the announcement, various members of the Robertson family have taken to social media, thanking fans for the outpouring of prayers and support.

Willie Robertson said with “all the love, support, and accolades in regards to my father, Phil, it would seemed that he has passed away from this life, but he hasn’t. He is still alive, maybe not well, but very much alive,” adding,

He can still communicate with people the ideas that are most important to him. In fact, it’s in a more loving and reflecting way than I have ever witnessed before. A true legend throughout his life, he somehow is still a legend, even in his humbled state.

Willie reflected on Phil’s passion for sharing the Gospel. After Willie handed Phil a copy of the manuscript for his most recent book Gospeler, Phil was so excited “knowing that he had passed down his number one passion of spreading the Gospel to one of his children. [It] made him beam with true joy.”

Sadie Robertson, Willie’s daughter, posted about her grandfather Phil on Facebook:

I’m so proud to be his granddaughter. I’m so proud to have learned how to love the Word, honor the Word, and teach the Word from him. I’m so glad that I grew up in a family where it was completely normal for strangers have a meal in our home, and get baptized in the river before they left because to Papaw Phil that was just natural! … Thank you all for the prayers!

It seems God has answered the prayers being sent Phil’s ways. In a more recent episode of “Unashamed,” Zach said that Phil “has had some reprieve in his pain, and I got to think that that’s the prayers of millions of people that went up over the last four days.”

Al shared that Phil is grateful for all the prayers he’s received:

Dad’s famously not connected to tech, but he does love to hear that out there in “computer land,” as he puts it, there are people that are expressing their love and their appreciation for everything that he’s meant to them in their lives.

Phil’s redemptive life story is inspiring – it bears witness to the grace Christ offers to everyone.

He and Kay struggled early on in their marriage. Phil struggled with alcohol abuse and had been unfaithful in their marriage. They were headed towards divorce, and he had kicked Kay and their kids out.

Then an Arkansas pastor drove across state lines to share the Gospel with Phil. As a result, Phil repented, was baptized, and his marriage and family were saved.

Now Phil has preached the Gospel to millions and served as a light in a darkening culture, refusing to compromise his witness in the face of political correctness.

Phil’s story – and his conversion to Christianity – was featured in the 2023 film The Blind: The True Story of the Robertson Family. Phil’s story – and his conversion to Christianity – was featured in the 2023 film The Blind: The True Story of the Robertson Family. Phil is also the author of several books including Happy, Happy, Happy and I Could Be Wrong, But I Doubt It: Why Jesus Is Your Greatest Hope on Earth and in Eternity.

We thank Phil for his decades of ministry, for his public proclamation of the Gospel, and for modeling – by Christ’s grace – the beautiful effect that redemption and restoration can have on family life.

No one can deny the power that the Gospel has had in Phil’s life – it’s a story he is unashamed to tell.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV).

There’s perhaps no more fitting way to conclude than with a brief clip of Phil Robertson sharing the Gospel at Gateway Church, which you can watch below:

The Robertson family story is depicted in the Christian biographical film The Blind: The True Story of the Robertson Family. You can read Focus on the Family’s Plugged In movie review of The Blind.

Phil and Kay Robertson appeared on an episode of the Focus on the Family Broadcast “Hunting for Hope and Happiness” to share their inspiring story of love and redemption. You can listen to them reflect on their tumultuous first years of marriage, and how God transformed their relationship.

Related articles and resources:

Finding God’s Beauty in Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Love in the Midst of Alzheimer’s

Understanding Dementia

Counseling Consultation & Referrals

Duck Dynasty’s Phil and Al Robertson Offer Jesus as the Answer to Culture

Hunting for Hope and Happiness

Finding Peace of Mind in Christ

Celebrating Christmas as a Family

Happy, Happy, Happy

Willie Robertson Reveals How Single Gospel Conversation Changed ‘Duck Dynasty’ Family

Duck Dynasty Film ‘The Blind’ Hits Home Theaters After Record-Breaking $16.8 Million Release