patriarch "Duck Dynasty" dies

WEST MONROE, La. (AP) - Phil Robertson, who turned his small duck calling interest in the sportsman's paradise of northern Louisiana into a big business and conservative cultural phenomenon, died Sunday, according to his family. He was 79.

Robertson's family announced in December on their Unashamed With the Robertson Family podcast that the patriarch of the clan had Alzheimer's disease. The statement on social media from Robertson's daughter-in-law didn't mention how he died.

"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," Korie Robertson wrote.

Phil Robertson skyrocketed to fame in the early 2010s when the A&E network created a reality show, presented like a sitcom. It followed the adventures of Robertson, his three sons - including Willie, who runs the family's Duck Commander company, their wives and a host of other relatives and friends.

Phil Robertson and his boys were immediately recognizable by their long beards and their conservative, Christian and family-oriented beliefs.

Robertson was born in north Louisiana and spent his life in the woods and lakes that make up the region called Sportsman's Paradise.

Robertson played football at Louisiana Tech and taught school. He also loved to hunt and created a duck call in the early 1970s that he said replicated the exact sound of a duck.

The calls were the centerpiece of the Duck Commander business Robertson would grow into a multimillion dollar enterprise before A&E came calling.

The family just didn't sell outdoor and hunting gear, but a lifestyle.

"The Robertsons face everything from beavers to business deals in their own special way - with a twist of downhome practicality and a sharp sense of humor," A&E wrote in its promotion for "Duck Dynasty."