'Pawn Stars' Richard Harrison, known as 'The Old Man,' has died at 77

Erin Jensen | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption 'Pawn Stars' icon turned thousands to millions Richard Harrison, the patriarch of the History Channel's reality show, 'Pawn Stars,' dies after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

Richard Harrison, who was referred to "The Old Man" on the television series "Pawn Stars," has died. Harrison's son and co-star for the History channel series, Rick Harrison, made the announcement to more than 245,000 Instagram followers on Monday, attributing his father's death to Parkinson's.

A rep for the Harrisons confirmed news of the patriarch's passing to USA TODAY, and issued the statement Rick shared to Instagram.

In a statement obtained by USA TODAY, the History channel also mourned the TV star.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend Richard ‘The Old Man’ Harrison, a beloved member of the HISTORY and ‘Pawn Stars’ family," the statement reads. "He will be greatly missed for his wisdom and candor. Our thoughts are with the Harrison family during this difficult time."

"Pawn Stars" debuted in 2009 and documented the day-to-day happenings of the family-run Nevada store. Harrison's grandson, Corey Harrison, and his friend, Austin Lee Russell, known as "Chumlee," are also cast members.

Harrison, a former navy man, moved his family to Vegas in the hopes of creating a new beginning and opened the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in 1988, according to a bio from the network's website. Harrison helped assess items brought into the shop with a memorable blunt and no-nonsense approach. As the store sees many unique items, experts are often called on to determine value and authenticity.

Sharing a close-up of the 77-year-old, Rick penned a lengthy tribute to his dad who helped him run the family business.

"Richard Benjamin ‘The Old Man’ Harrison passed away this morning surrounded by those he loved," Rick captioned an image of Harrison, clad in a black suit with matching glasses and fedora. "He will be tremendously missed by our family, the team at Gold & Silver Pawn and his many fans the world over."

Rick also shared how his father impacted him personally.

"He was my hero and I was fortunate to get a very cool ‘Old Man’ as my dad," he continued. "That I got to share him with so many others and they got to see what a great family man he was is something I am grateful to have experienced with him.

"He lived a very full life and through the History television show ‘Pawn Stars’ touched the lives of people all over, teaching them the value of loving your family, hard work and humor," he added. "We appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers and ask that we are provided some privacy at this time."

Rick shared a second photo of his dad as a much younger man, wearing a navy uniform.

"Today I lost a friend, a father, a teacher and so much more," he wrote. "The Old Man lost his long battle with Parkinson’s this morning. Love you Dad. See you on the other side."

Contributing: Maria Puente