What We Know About The Last Months Of Phil Robertson’s Life
on May 26, 2025
Phil Robertson, the fearless leader of Duck Dynasty‘s Robertson family, died Sunday, May 25, at the age of 79.
Phil Robertson’s death came less than six months after his family revealed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and had been battling a crippling blood disorder.
In the months following his diagnosis, his family kept fans updated on his health battle, sharing candid stories during media interviews and on their podcasts, The Duck Call Room and Unashamed.
Here is what we know about the final months of Phil Robertson’s life.
Phil underwent several surgeries.
Phil Robertson started having back problems in 2023. He fractured a vertebra while unloading an aluminum boat and underwent surgery to fix it. More back injuries and surgeries followed, eventually leading to a blood disorder diagnosis.
During his final appearance on his Unashamed podcast in October 2024, Phil described the pain the back issues were causing him and revealed that he didn’t know what was causing them.
“It just started aching when I got up … and it got worse and worse and worse. I’m sitting here right now perfectly comfortable, but if I move my legs to walk over there to get a cup of coffee, with each step it’s like you’ve got a knife in your back,” Phil said at the time.
Phil was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
In early December 2024, the Robertson family made the announcement that he had been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
In an episode of Unashamed, Phil’s son Jase shared the news, saying that his dad wasn’t doing well.
“There are some days he’ll be a little more with it, and other days not so much,” Jase said, adding that the family was working closely with doctors to make Phil comfortable and work on his memory.
“Outside of some supernatural intervention, which I don’t doubt … there’s no curing what he has. What do you do? We’re trying to make him a little more comfortable,” Jase said.
Phil and Kay were moved into an assisted living facility.
While Phil was dealing with health issues of his own, his wife of nearly 60 years, Miss Kay, was dealing with some as well. Their family made the decision to move them out of their longtime Louisiana home into an assisted living facility where they could receive 24-hour care.
RELATED: PHIL AND KAY ROBERTSON REUNITED AFTER FORCED SEPARATION DUE TO HEALTH ISSUES
Phil and Kay’s sons and wives took turns taking them dinner and spending time with them. While the elder Robertsons weren’t keen on the idea of moving at first, they eventually realized it was the best place for them.
He quickly declined physically and mentally.
Phil’s disease seemed to progress rapidly. His family shared stories about his memory issues, saying that they were situations where “you have to laugh so you don’t cry.”
Phil’s son Al recalled when they first realized something was happening with his dad’s memory. “We had noticed a little bit of forgetting words and things like that, but you know, he’s 78 and you’re not sure if that’s just getting older. It seemed to happen very fast.”
In an update shared in April, the Robertson brothers detailed some of Phil’s memory issues, sharing stories of their dad getting frustrated about why he can’t remember things. They said that seeing their father in this condition has “been difficult.”
In the last update shared by Jase before Phil’s death, he revealed that Phil was no longer mobile.
“My dad’s not been doing well, at all – just physically and mentally,” Jase said. “He’s not real mobile, so I was moving him around at his request, and even though he doesn’t weigh what he once did, it’s pretty hard. He can’t help you, and it’s sad.”
He held on for Miss Kay.
In an interview with CBN, son Al shared that he felt his dad was hanging on for his mom.
“He still has a sense of purpose in watching out for Mom. She had a pretty bad year last year, physically had a lot of issues,” Al said. “I think he feels like that’s part of the reason he has to hang in there and hang on. Because he helps take care of her, and she helps take care of him,” Al shared. “To be honest with you, it’s a really sweet thing to watch … my older parents still cling to one another and take care of each other.”
He had moments of lucidity when speaking with his family.
In an episode of Unashamed that was published on May 19, Jase shared details of a sweet moment he shared with his dad that felt “supernatural.”
“He’s mostly out of it, but there was a five-minute period … that felt really supernatural because he’s been struggling so much. He just kind of perked up, and we had a little five-minute conversation that ended in him sneezing, which, for some reason, he thought was hilarious, and it became contagious,” Jase shared. “It was the first time in quite a while that I’ve seen him smile and laugh. It was really nice.”
He was preparing “to go to the other side.”
In the same podcast episode, Jase reiterated that his father’s health was continuing to decline and confessed that he felt like his dad was nearing the end of his life. “He’s just not doing real well. I just think he’s getting ready for the journey to the other side.”
Prior to his death, daughter-in-law Korie Robertson told the NY Post that Phil wasn’t speaking much. She told the outlet that his health was declining rapidly and that he wouldn’t be appearing in the new Duck Dynasty spinoff, Duck Dynasty: The Revival.
“He’s not saying very much anymore. He doesn’t speak a lot,” she said at the time.
Phil Robertson was surrounded by his family in his final days.
Mia Robertson, Phil and Kay’s granddaughter, shared on Instagram that she and her parents spent Friday evening singing hymns with them. She included a voice memo where the family can be heard singing “Victory in Jesus” with Phil and Kay.
Phil didn’t forget his love for Miss Kay throughout his illness and disease progression. Their bond remained until the end. A photo shared by their daughter-in-law, Lisa, shows Miss Kay clinging to Phil’s hand as he lies in a bed. The simple but impactful photo is a testament to their love story.
