Duck Dynasty: The Revival Honors Late Phil Robertson in Premiere Episode After His Death at 79 (Exclusive)

Duck Dynasty is saying goodbye to Phil Robertson.

At the end of the June 1 premiere episode of Duck Dynasty: The Revival, the series pays tribute with a brief but touching tribute to the late Robertson patriarch, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal.

The short clip begins with Phil’s son, Willie Robertson, reading off his laptop as he sits on an armchair in the living room.

“So ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. Only one will earn the bandana, so let the games begin. What do you think, Phil?” Willie asks, to which Phil answers with a big thumbs up.

“Ah, that was awesome!” his son replies with a hearty laugh as the screen fades to black and a photo of Phil appears alongside the in-memoriam tribute.

On Sunday, May 25, the reality star’s family members announced in various social media posts that Phil had died at age 79 after revealing his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in December 2024.

One of Phil’s sons, Jase Robertson, posted a tribute on X, writing, “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!”  

Sadie Robertson Huff, Phil’s granddaughter, marked his death with an Instagram post featuring a series of photos of their famous family throughout the years.

In their own joint Instagram post, Willie and his wife Korie Robertson wrote, “We celebrate today that our father, husband, and grandfather, Phil Robertson, is now with the Lord.”

“Thank you for the love and prayers of so many whose lives have been impacted by his life,” the pair continued, in part, adding, “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.”

Phil’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis was first made public on the Dec. 6 episode of the Unashamed with the Robertson Family podcast. At the time, Jase revealed that his dad was in the “early stages” of the illness.

He further explained that his father’s Alzheimer’s “accelerated, and it’s causing problems with his entire body,” adding, “He’s just not doing well. He’s really struggling.”

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Duck Dynasty aired on A&E and followed members of the Robertson family — including Phil and his wife Kay Robertson, alongside three of their sons, Jase, Willie and Jep, plus several grandchildren and a few of their employees, as they worked together at their family business, Duck Commander.

The series ended in 2017 after 11 seasons, though it spawned various spinoffs, including Going Si-Ral, Jep & Jessica: Growing the Dynasty, At Home with the Robertsons and Duck Family Treasure. 

A&E announced in January that the show would return to the network as Duck Dynasty: The Revival.

Duck Dynasty: The Revival premieres Sunday, June 1 at 9 p.m. ET on A&E.