Duck Dynasty Patriarch Phil Robertson Given Bleak Health Diagnosis

Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson, head of the Robertson clan, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, according to his son Jase.

Jase shared the news on Episode 1003 of their “Unashamed with the Robertson Family” podcast, revealing:

Phil’s not doing well… We were trying to figure out the diagnosis, but according to the doctors, they are sure that he has some sort of blood disease causing all kinds of problems… and he has early stages of Alzheimer’s. So if you put those things together, he’s just not doing well.

Robertson, 78, who says he first became a Christian in the 1970s and has been a church elder for years, was a much-loved character on AE’s breakout show, known for his wisdom and sage quips in a folksy package. Not without controversy, he made world headlines in 2013 after the network gave him an indefinite suspension for repudiating homosexuality in an article for GQ. After he was asked what he considers sinful, Robertson told his interviewer:

Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.

He also questioned the deranged logic of men who would prefer male body parts to those of women, making comments that The Gospel Coalition once tut-tutted as being “unnecessarily crude.”

It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.

Robertson is not without legitimate critics, however, with many pointing to the fact that the long-time church he’s been an elder at, White’s Ferry Road Church, preaches the heresy of baptismal regeneration, with their statement of faith reading:

WE BELIEVE the Holy Spirit co-exist with God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit is a gift given to physically indwell Christians when they are baptized. He is a deposit from God the Father guaranteeing Jesus’ return. His role in our life is to help and guide us in sanctification (holiness).