Understanding Pawn Stars Cast Death
People who watch Pawn Stars eventually run into the question of which cast members have died. The show started in 2009 on the History Channel and ran for eighteen seasons. Over that time, several key figures connected to the show have passed away. This page covers the main deaths connected to Pawn Stars and how to verify the information. The biggest one is Richard Harris Harrison, known on the show as "The Old Man." He died on November 5, 2018 at age 79 from congestive heart failure. He had been dealing with heart issues for a while before his death. Rick Harrison confirmed it himself on social media. Richard was the founder of the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas and the original face of the show. Another notable death is William "Bill" Cast, who passed away in 2023. He was a supplier and friend of the shop who appeared on the show occasionally. Bill was in his late seventies when he died from natural causes. His family notified the production team.
Corey Harrison, known as "The Chum," is still alive as of 2026. Rick Harrison is also still alive. Chumlee (Austin Lee) is alive. The rest of the regular cast members are still with us. There have been rumors circulating on social media from time to time, and some of those rumors turn out to be false. Always check a reliable source before sharing.
How to Verify Cast Death Information
I have run into this problem more than once. Someone will post a rumor on Facebook or Reddit saying a Pawn Stars cast member died, and the comments go wild. The info is wrong half the time. Here is the method I use to verify these things quickly. First, check the person's official social media accounts. If it is the person's own account, that is about as good as it gets. Rick Harrison posts updates himself sometimes. Second, check a reputable news outlet. TMZ, People magazine, or the Las Vegas Review-Journal will cover a death of this magnitude. Third, look at the person's own website or verified Twitter/X account for any statement from their family or publicist. I once spent about forty minutes tracking down a false rumor that chumlee had died. The original post was on a gossip site with no sources. I checked his verified Instagram, found a post from two weeks earlier, and moved on. The whole thing took less time than reading through the comment section.
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Common Pitfalls When Researching
The main problem is the volume of fake news. Death hoaxes spread fast because they get clicks. Sites will publish unverified claims and never correct them. Another issue is name confusion. There are multiple people named Richard Harrison, and searching the wrong one will lead you to unrelated obituaries. Always include "Pawn Stars" and "Las Vegas" in your search to narrow results. A counter-intuitive thing to know: sometimes the production company itself will issue a statement, and that is more reliable than any news article. The Harrison family's legal team handles these announcements, and their statements go out through official channels first. If you are doing this research for an article or a project, the official statement is always the primary source you should cite.
What Happens to a Show When a Key Member Dies
After The Old Man died, the show continued for another seven seasons without him. Rick and Corey took on more of the appraisal and negotiation roles. The dynamic changed but the format stayed the same. New episodes were filmed with the remaining cast. Some episodes in later seasons included video tributes or references to Richard Harrison Sr. There is no standard procedure for replacing a main cast member on a reality show. Each production handles it differently. In Pawn Stars' case, the surviving members simply continued. The show was already well established with a loyal audience. Ratings did not drop significantly after the death, which is unusual but not unprecedented for long-running reality franchises.
Additional Deaths Connected to the Franchise
Beyond the main cast, a few other people connected to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop have died over the years. These are mostly suppliers, appraisers, or staff members who appeared in minor roles. Because they were not regulars, their deaths get very little coverage. If you are looking for comprehensive information, the best place to check is the Wikipedia page for Pawn Stars, which maintains a list of notable deaths related to the show. That page gets updated whenever new information comes out. I should note that some of the older, more detailed discussions about these deaths can be found on forum threads from 2019 to 2022. Those threads tend to have the most accurate and well-sourced information because the community there is generally careful about correcting false claims. If you find a rumor, cross-referencing it against those threads usually reveals whether it is true or not.
Pawn Stars Cast Death - Quick Reference
- Richard Harris Harrison (The Old Man) - Died November 5, 2018. Age 79. Congestive heart failure.
- William "Bill" Cast - Died 2023. Age late 70s. Natural causes.
- Rick Harrison - Alive as of 2026.
- Corey "The Chum" Harrison - Alive as of 2026.
- Austin "Chumlee" Lee - Alive as of 2026.
If you want the most current list, I would recommend checking the official Pawn Stars website or the History Channel page. Those get updated directly by the production team and are the most reliable sources available.
