‘Pawn Stars’ Personality Chumlee Reacts to Richard ‘Old Man’ Harrison’s Death

Pawn Stars’ Chumlee addressed the passing of Richard “Old Man” Harrison on Monday in a heartfelt tweet.

Chumlee — whose real name is Austin Russell — was a childhood friend of Harrison’s grandson, Corey. He was the fourth member of the show’s main cast, and the only one who wasn’t a part of the Harrison family. Chumlee’s comic relief antics were often juxtaposed against the stoic demeanor of “Old Man” Harrison.

“It’s hard to believe he is gone,” Russell wrote of Harrison. “He was such a big part of my life and treated me like family. I will miss him greatly and carry the lessons he taught me throughout my life. You could always count on him to straighten you out or make you laugh and both of those things I need.”

Many fans weighed in under Russell’s tweet, sharing the sentiment that his interactions with Harrison were some of the highlights of the series.

“I’m so sorry to hear of his passing,” one person wrote. “Austin, your interactions with the old man always made my day. They still do! My dad passed away in 2012, and Pawn Stars brought him so much joy. Thank you for that. Hang in there.”

Harrison’s cause of death has yet to be revealed. He has been absent from the show for several seasons now. His son, Rick, announced his passing in a statement made to TMZ.

“‘The Old Man’ Harrison passed away this morning surrounded by those he loved,” he said. “He will be tremendously missed by our family, the team at Gold & Silver Pawn and his many fans the world over. He was my hero and I was fortunate enough to get a very cool ‘Old Man’ as my dad.”

Harrison was 77 years old.

Russell’s development as Chumlee on the show became one of the biggest arcs on Pawn Stars. He had begun working at Gold & Silver Pawn with his friend Corey a few years before the show began, and he took to the camera naturally.

After a few seasons of the show, Russell made some drastic changes to his lifestyle which yielded huge weight loss results. He dropped about 75 pounds in one year, inspiring his co-stars and his viewers.

However, the beloved “village idiot” as Harrison sometimes called him had his own troubles as well. In 2016, his house was raided as part of a sexual assault investigation, according to the New York Daily News. While in his home, police uncovered stashes of marijuana, crystal meth, Xanax and an unregistered firearm. He had 11 other legal guns. He was immediately arrested.

The reality star struck a plea deal, allowing him to get out of prison time associated with his crimes. Instead, he is now serving three years on probation and undergoing mandatory counseling.