In the early 1970s Phil Robertson, a former college quarterback who had chosen duck hunting over a football career, started making duck calls in his home in Louisiana. The company he founded, Duck Commander, became a multi-million-dollar business, and in 2012 his family became the stars of A&E’s Duck Dynasty. Robertson died on May 25, 2025. He was 79. His family announced his death on his official Facebook page. They did not give a cause; he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Football and the duck call
Robertson was born in Vivian, Louisiana, in 1946. At Louisiana Tech he played quarterback ahead of Terry Bradshaw, who went on to win four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Robertson turned down the chance to pursue professional football because, he said, it would interfere with duck season. He taught school for a time before starting Duck Commander in 1972 and building it with his sons in West Monroe, Louisiana. Duck Dynasty followed the bearded Robertson men, their wives and their business, mixing staged comedy with family dinners and prayers. At its peak it was one of the most-watched non-fiction series in the history of American cable television, and the family sold merchandise, books and music on the back of it. The show ran until 2017.
Controversy and faith
In 2013 Robertson made remarks about gay people in an interview with GQ magazine that led A&E to suspend him briefly from the show, before the network reversed its decision after a public outcry from supporters. He was an outspoken evangelical Christian who preached regularly and hosted a podcast with his family. He was survived by his wife, Kay, known to viewers as Miss Kay, and their sons.
Robertson’s business began with a single duck call made by hand, and it ended with his family as one of the best-known in American television.