Franklin Graham Praises Late ‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Phil Robertson for Standing ‘Firm with the Word of God’

Reverend Franklin Graham gave a heartfelt tribute to Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson who passed away at the age of 79 on Sunday.

Robertson died after his battle with Alzheimer’s disease, Breitbart News reported.

In his social media post, Graham asked people to pray for the Robertson family and voiced his appreciation for how their father, husband, and grandfather lived out his faith in God:

Please join me in praying for Miss Kay and all of the Robertson family as Phil Robertson has passed away. Now he is in the presence of his Lord and Savior. I always appreciated that Phil stood firm with the Word of God and took every opportunity to talk about his faith in Jesus Christ. He and some of his family came to encourage the wounded veterans and their spouses at our Samaritan’s Purse Operation Heal Our Patriots program in Alaska back in 2014, and he came to the Billy Graham Library to speak on two occasions. There’s no question, he will be greatly missed. May God especially comfort all of the family during this time.

The news comes over a month after his son, Jase, said his father was “not good” as he fought the disease. Jase announced his father’s passing in a social media post, telling people they were going to miss him but knew where he was.

He wrote, “My dad has gone to be with the Lord today! He will be missed but we know he is in good hands, and our family is good because God is very good! We will see him again!”

The Duck Dynasty X profile shared a video of iconic moments featuring Robertson as he spent time with his family. In one clip, he told his wife, Miss Kay, “You are my best friend and I love you dearly. And I’m gonna be with you for the long haul, until they put me in the ground.”

People commenting on Graham’s post noted how the elder Robertson had affected their lives.

“Phil Robertson was the Billy Graham to many Red Necks and Country Boys. I tuned in to watch their show many times, when I heard Phil talk about the Bible, Family and Relationships it felt as if he was talking directly to me. His words were often exactly what I needed to hear. God used him in an awesome way to reach millions of people right inside their homes, people that most preachers could never reach. He was a great man of God, a great American and a National Treasure. God bless!!!” one person wrote.

“To be absent from the body is to be present with The Lord. Thank you Jesus for the example of a true disciple of The Lord that Phil Robertson was. Praying for Ms Kay and the Robertson family,” someone else commented.