Phil Robertson Of Duck Dynasty Fame Has Been Diagnosed With Alzheimer’s Disease
78-year-old Phil Robertson, the patriarch of Duck Dynasty‘s Robertson family, was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Two of his sons, Al and Jase, shared the news on the December 6 episode of Phil’s Unashamed podcast.
In addition to his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Phil is also battling a blood disease that causes a lot of physical pain.
“It’s causing problems with his entire body,” Jase said. “And he has early stages of Alzheimer’s. So, if you put those things together, he’s just not doing well. He’s really struggling.”
Al and Jase said their dad can’t “walk without crying out in pain” and “his memory is not what it once was.” Al added, “There are some days he’ll be a little more with it, and other days not so much.”
RELATED: IN 2021, “DUCK DYNASTY” STAR PHIL ROBERTSON GAVE HIS SON INSTRUCTIONS FOR WHEN HE DIES
Jase said there’s “no curing” Phil’s conditions. Because of this, Phil’s doctors and family members are simply trying their best to “make him a little more comfortable.”
Robertson Family Members React To Phil’s Diagnosis
Phil and his wife, Miss Kay, share four sons and many grandchildren. Phil also has a daughter, Phyllis, following an affair he had shortly before he gave his life to Jesus. Phyllis and Phil met for the first time in 2020, and the Robertsons welcomed her with open arms.
After their family went public with Phil’s diagnosis, Phyllis shared a powerful statement on social media. She wrote:
“I may not know all of the answers to every question I have, but what I do know is that God is close to the broken hearted. My God has always been near and will continue to be as we process how life has been changing and will continue to change as time goes on. And if I know one thing about my dad, it is that he’s going to let every moment continue to bring glory to his Heavenly Father.”
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Phil’s granddaughter, Sadie, also honored him in an emotional tribute on social media. She said:
“Seeing all of the articles go out yesterday about my grandpa’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis has kept my tears flowing… something about it being public makes it even more real…In moments like this, it can feel overwhelming for such bad news to be such public news. But you know what? I’m genuinely so thankful my family chose to make our life public because of how incredible it is that so many people know my grandpa!”
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Willie Robertson Shares Faith-Filled Message On Social Media After Father Phil’s Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
Phil’s son (and Sadie’s dad), Willie, also penned an emotional statement about Phil’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Willie said:
“Occasionally, life throws you these situations that are hard to put into words. Amid all the love, support, and accolades in regards to my father Phil, it would [have] seemed that he has passed away from this life, but he hasn’t. He is still alive, maybe not well, but very much alive. While his brain doesn’t process as quickly as it used to, he can still communicate with people the ideas that are most important to him. In fact, it’s a more loving and reflective way than I have ever witnessed before.”
Willie’s faith-filled message shared his admiration for Phil as a devoted family man and Christian. He celebrated how Phil has spent decades sharing his faith with the world…and how he passed that passion on to him.
“Thank you for supporting the man that showed the world what a person can become when they completely yield to the Gospel,” Willie wrote. “His life has been an open book and yes, sadly we are getting to the end of it in some regards. There could be many years left or just a few. That’s life, at least life of this earth.”
Willie ended his message by saying how “proud” he is to have served by his father’s side all these years. You can read his full statement below.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Phil and the entire Robertson family.