Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson dies after health battle

"He will be missed but we know he is in good hands"

His Alzheimer's disease diagnosis first became public knowledge last Christmas.

Posting on social media site X yesterday (May 25), Robertson's son Jase wrote: "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!"

In a lengthy joint Instagram tribute, Jase's brother Willie and his wife Korie also shared: "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, 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.

"We know so many of you love him and have been impacted by his life. We're having a private service for now, but we'll share details soon about a public celebration of his life."

In 1972, Robertson founded his own hunting and outdoor goods business known as Duck Commander, which led to the creation of TV series Duck Dynasty on network A&E several decades later.

Airing between 2012 and 2017, it centred around the daily lives of the entire Robertson family, who worked at Duck Commander.

Duck Dynasty would go on to spawn a number of spin-offs, including Going Si-Ral, Jep & Jessica: Growing the Dynasty, At Home with the Robertsons, and Duck Family Treasure.