Washington [US], May 26 (ANI): Phil Robertson, the well-known face of A&E's hit show Duck Dynasty, has passed away at the age of 79, reported Deadline.

The news was shared by his family on social media on Sunday evening.

Robertson, also known as the Duck Commander, was diagonized with Alzheimer's disease since being diagnosed in December last year.

The statement shared by his family read, '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,' the statement further read.

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According to Deadline, his son Jase had spoken earlier about Phil's health struggles, on their family podcast, where he shared that his father was in pain and dealing with a serious blood disease. Still, Phil was determined to keep sharing his faith.

Phil Robertson became popular after Duck Dynasty aired in 2012. The show followed the Robertson family and their business, Duck Commander, which sold duck calls and hunting gear. The show ran for 11 seasons until 2017 and became one of the most-watched reality shows on cable TV.

Phil was also an author. He published his memoir Happy, Happy, Happy in 2013. Before becoming a businessman and reality star, he studied at Louisiana Tech University on a football scholarship and later earned a master's degree in education.

He married his wife, Marsha Kay, in 1966 and is survived by his children, grandchildren, and other family members. (ANI)