Pawn Stars' Rick Harrison Makes Heartfelt Tribute After Son's Death
Note: This article discusses addiction issues.
Since 2009, the Harrison family has lent their expertise to customers and viewers of the hit History Channel show, "Pawn Stars." Rick Harrison, his son Corey Harrison, and family friend Austin 'Chumlee' Russell examine items brought into their Las Vegas store, the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, and determine if these treasures truly have any historical or monetary value. Sadly, Rick's other son Adam Harrison died from an alleged drug overdose on January 19, 2024, at age 39. According to Today, which reported Adam's death on January 20, the family had initially released a statement which read, "Our family is extremely saddened by the death of Adam. We ask for privacy as we grieve his loss."
Although Adam did not participate in the television series that follows his family's exploits, the news report stated that he worked at the store at one point. The New York Post also reported on January 20 that Adam seemed to be mysteriously absent in Rick's Instagram posts, and hadn't been seen at the store for a while. Adam and Corey's mother is Kim Harrison, Rick's ex-wife, and they have another brother named Jake, whom Rick shares with Tracey Harrison, his second ex-wife. Adam also had three sisters who were fathered by Rick named Sarina, Ciana, and Marissa.
After learning of Adam's death on January 19, Rick posted a selfie of the two of them together on Instagram with the touching caption, "You will always be in my heart! I love you Adam."
Rick worked hard to get a reality show made about the family shop
Among the outpouring of condolences posted in response to Rick Harrison's touching Instagram tribute to his son, Adam, was Donald Trump Jr. who simply replied, "I'm so sorry man." Actor Christopher Clawson also responded by recommending the family use the show as a way of shedding light on the harm drugs like fentanyl cause, and lovingly added, "I hope Adam and the Old Man are coming [up] with new ways to mess with Corey."
The "Old Man" he referred to was Rick's father, Richard Harrison, who in 1980 moved the family to Las Vegas and opened a coin shop. Wanting to do things differently, Rick decided a pawn shop would be a better option, but it took him until the city's population went over 250,000 people in 1988 before he could get a permit.
According to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop's website, Rick felt that a presence on television would help the business, so he shopped the concept around to several networks. Eventually hooking up with Leftfield Pictures, they convinced the Old Man to join them on one of his days off and film a pilot episode. Ultimately, the History Channel loved it so much the series was greenlit in 2009. Thus, three generations of Harrisons were hosting the show, but sadly, in 2018, the Old Man died at age 77 from Parkinson's disease.
Corey Harrison also paid tribute to brother Adam
On January 19, Corey Harrison also took to Instagram to post a tribute to his late brother, Adam Harrison. Using Adam's nickname, "Wax," he posted a picture of the two of them taking a bath together at an early age, captioning it "Wax wtf I will always love you bubba." Again, there was another deluge of love and condolences sent by family and friends, many of which were in other languages, illustrating the worldwide popularity of "Pawn Stars."
"My condolences bro, you have been through a lot in the last few years stay strong brother," wrote one follower, while another international response was, "Our feelings directly from Brazil. May God comfort the hearts of all family members." Many who chimed in echoed the sentiment from Rick Harrison's post responses that greater awareness of the drug issue in the U.S. needs to happen.
It's truly amazing how one family has been able to put a positive spotlight on pawn shops, and our condolences also go out to the Harrison family in this time of heartbreaking loss.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).