The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Rick Harrison
Rick Harrison has been charming fans and wannabe collectors ever since "Pawn Stars" debuted in 2009. The reality series introduced fans to the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop team, a crew that has included Rich's dad, Richard "The Old Man" Harrison; his son, Corey "Big Hoss" Harrison; and employees like Austin "Chumlee" Russell. Though the History Channel creation focuses largely on the business aspect of the Harrisons, viewers couldn't help but be interested in what's going on in the Harrisons' personal lives — both on and off camera. It's safe to say that you don't run a pawn shop business in Las Vegas without having some stories to tell, but Rick's personal life is just as interesting.
Despite his hardships, Rick has remained dedicated to his fanbase and continues to work on new episodes of the show, over 15 years after it started. It's clear that Rick's dedication and business acumen are what keep him moving forward, but it begs the question, will he ever reach a breaking point?
Even before his stardom, Rick's life had a lot of ups and downs, though they seem to have gotten progressively more dramatic in recent years. From a sometimes testing relationship with the Old Man to tragic childhood losses and even the devastating death of one of his own children, Rick has been through the wringer. Viewers may wonder if Pawn Stars is fake, but there's nothing scripted about Rick's trials and tribulations. Let's take a look at his heartbreaking struggles.
Rick Harrison faced a devastating family tragedy when he was very young
In a 2014 interview with the Navy Times, Rick Harrison's father, Richard "The Old Man" Harrison, explained that he wasn't at home as much as he would've liked back when his kids were young because he was in the U.S. Navy. Though his absence may have been hard on his family, it was a necessity: Rick's sister, Sherry Harrison, was born with Down syndrome, and Richard kept his military job so they could pay for her medical bills.
In his book "License to Pawn," Rick shared that his parents got married and started a family when they were relatively young. Sherry was their firstborn, arriving in 1960. Rick was born less than four years later. Sadly, Sherry died when she was just 6 years old. In another section of the book, Rick's dad, Richard, opened up about losing his young daughter. "[Sherry] was the light of my life for the short time we had her ... there's a little bit of her still alive in all of our hearts," he wrote. "I believe that." Rick also noted that he didn't have a chance to form a strong bond with his older sister, as he was still a toddler when she died.
Growing up under the shadow of a much-loved and lost sibling must have been incredibly difficult for Rick, especially knowing it impacted his parents so badly. It's not something he regularly talks about.
When he was just a child, he was diagnosed with a life-changing condition
Sherry Harrison's medical issues were not the only health struggles the Harrison family faced. When "Pawn Stars" star Rick Harrison was still a young child, he was diagnosed with epilepsy. In an interview with the Epilepsy Foundation, Rick explained that the illness impacted his childhood in a very profound way as muscle damage caused by seizures meant he often spent a lot of time in bed, where he ended up doing a lot of reading. As he told the Epilepsy Foundation (via WTOP News), "The best way to entertain myself was to read, so I became very interested in history books." In "License to Pawn," he shared that he missed a lot of school, but he did what he could to keep up.
In 2014, Harrison participated in a fundraising event for the Epilepsy Foundation. "Having seizures as a kid was scary," he shared with the organization. "Even though my seizures have stopped, I understand what it is like for people who still live with seizures every day." This experience undeniably impacted Rick's youth, but he has gone on to use his experience for the greater good by helping others.
What's more, it gave Rick time as a child to uncover a passion for history, which he would later use in his booming business empire to help him identify things of value that others may not have recognized at first glance.
Rick Harrison's relationship with his dad was at times complex
Fans love watching the family dynamics on "Pawn Stars" just as much as they like seeing what oddities customers bring in. For the first few seasons, Rick Harrison's father, Richard "The Old Man" Harrison, was a staple of the series. Watching the eccentric no-nonsense family patriarch was often one of the best parts of the episodes, as he seemed to have such a good rapport with Rick and the rest of the staff. However, their relationship wasn't always full of camaraderie and good times, especially when Rick was younger.
Talking to Fox News in 2020, Rick detailed that one of the most valuable lessons his father taught him involved a physical altercation. "When I was 16 years old, I tried to act all tough and told him 'F you' to him. He punched me in the face," Rick recounted. "I'm lying on the ground. He looks at me and says, 'Old enough to talk to me like a man, old enough to get your ass beat like one.'" Some may see this as being a traumatic event that would have a negative impact on a teenager, but Rick felt that while his relationship with his dad was "different," he learned a lot from him.
"That was one of the greatest life lessons he ever gave me," he explained, going on to say that his dad was an old-school man that the world could use more of.
He was sued over an incident at his Las Vegas shop in 2012
Every business owner knows that dark days can be just around the corner, especially when you're dealing with customers on a daily basis. In 2012, Rick Harrison found himself getting sued by a disgruntled Vietnam veteran who claimed that he was injured after getting thrown out of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. According to the New York Post, Daniel Callahan became embroiled in an argument with staff when he tried to sell a rifle there. He alleged that he was put in a chokehold by Rick and his father, Richard "The Old Man" Harrison, forcibly removed from the store. He sought $20,000 in damages.
Though Rick stayed quiet on the incident, his son Corey Harrison told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that his father and grandfather weren't even in the room with the customer at any point. According to Corey, staff members acted accordingly when Callahan became, according to the witnesses' account, "absolutely irate with a weapon in his hand and 4,000 people waiting. He was screaming 'I want to see the owner' ... The way he was acting it was in our best interests to get him out of there."
Whether Rick settled the suit or it was dismissed remains unclear, but this sort of bad publicity can have a profound impact on a business.
His political views cost him support
There are a number of public figures who use their platform to share their political views, whereas others tend to shy away from the subject. (Just ask Taylor Swift, whose history of controversial moments includes her history of keeping quiet about politics.) "Pawn Stars" star Rick Harrison, however, hasn't let the thought of backlash scare him into silence. In 2015, he publicly backed Republican candidate Marco Rubio. And that endorsement promptly landed him in hot water.
During an interview with CNN at the time, he explained, "I suddenly became famous and I was the one willing to throw my career away to endorse a Republican. When you endorse a Republican, everyone sort of frowns on you. I don't know why, but hey." In the same chat, Harrison dug himself a hole with liberal fans when he weighed in on trans rights. "You have some cities that are saying that if you have a man who feels like he's a woman, he can use the women's restroom. I guarantee you that will be taken advantage of by some very bad men who want to go into a bathroom where there are young ladies," he said. The star also admitted that he was scared his political views could wind up costing him the show.
Indeed, this interview alone did have an impact on his career. Out Front Magazine reported that after making these statements, Rick lost endorsements. In the years that followed, Rick got to know the Trumps, too.
Rick Harrison's father died in 2018
Losing a parent can be one of the toughest things a person can go through, and in 2018, Rick Harrison experienced it firsthand when Richard "The Old Man" Harrison died. Rick expressed his grief in a statement posted alongside a photo of his dad on Instagram. "He will be tremendously missed by our family, the team at Gold & Silver Pawn, and his many fans the world over," he wrote. "He was my hero and I was fortunate to get a very cool 'Old Man' as my dad. 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."
According to TMZ, Richard had Parkinson's Disease, which would explain why he had been absent from the previous few seasons of the show. It's a testament to just how popular Rick's father was that family, friends, and fans alike attended his memorial service in Las Vegas.
Rick has continued to share tributes to his father over the years, including a photo of Richard in his younger days in the Navy for Veteran's Day. The Old Man might be gone, but he'll never be forgotten by his son or the rest of the "Pawn Stars" family.
Rick Harrison has navigated three divorces
There are many secrets about "Pawn Stars" fans weren't supposed to know, but for all intents and purposes, Rick Harrison's love life has been an open book. It might not be something he heavily discusses in the series, but he's never kept it a secret, either. The pawn Don Juan has been divorced three times and married four, proving that he isn't scared to chase romance down. In 1985, he parted ways from his first wife, Kim Harrison. His marriage to second wife Tracy Harrison ended in 2011 after 25 years.
In 2021, TMZ reported that he and his third wife, Deanna Burditt, split the year prior — but managed to keep it out of the spotlight. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Rick filed for divorce in July 2020 because their priorities and views were no longer aligned. The divorce, which marked the end of a seven-year marriage for the couple, was finalized in September 2020. Needless to say, the timeline paled in comparison to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's legal drama with their divorce.
It certainly didn't take Rick long to find love again, as he is currently married to a woman named Amanda Palmer. The path to true love hasn't been paved with gold for Rick, but he's never let it harden him.
Rick Harrison's own mother sued him in 2022
Going into business with family can be tricky and ill-advised, but when it works well it can be fruitful for everyone. Rick Harrison worked alongside his father, Richard "The Old Man" Harrison, for years without incident. However, when Richard died in 2018, things began to get a little complicated. By 2022, Rick found himself getting sued by his own mother, Joanne Harrison. In the messy case, Joanne alleged that when she fell ill in the early noughties, Rick coerced her into signing over her 51% stake in the pawn shop.
Joanne ultimately inherited Richard's 49% share when he died but, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Rick didn't give her the breakdown of the business finances that she asked for. The family matriarch was trying to locate assets she believed her husband had collected over the years, which included over half a million in cash and silver.
At the time, Rick was quick to defend himself to the newspaper, stating, "Now that I've seen the Review-Journal story and what is alleged in the lawsuit, I can say that the allegations are false and I think that my 81-year old mother is being manipulated by others for their personal gain." The situation only got more dramatic when Joanne filed a restraining order against Rick. At the time of writing in 2024, it's unclear whether the suit is still ongoing.
Rick Harrison's son died in 2024
In 2024, the "Pawn Stars" cast suffered another tragedy. On January 19, Rick Harrison's son Adam Harrison died from a fentanyl overdose. According to the New York Post, Adam got out of jail a few months before his death. Though Rick didn't go into detail about the details surrounding Adam's incarceration, he told the publication, "Fentanyl turned my son into someone he wasn't and that brought with it bad decisions and spending time in jail."
At the time of Adam's death, he was living in someone's guesthouse. An unnamed neighbor told law enforcement that Adam seemed to be struggling in the weeks before his death. Per the New York Post, the neighbor claimed in a report, "His conversations were often lacking sound reasoning and mental clarity."
The loss was understandably devastating, and Rick made a heartfelt tribute to his son on Instagram alongside the caption, "You will always be in my heart! I love you Adam." In his aforementioned statement to the New York Post, Rick said, "The fentanyl crisis in this country must be taken more seriously. It seems it is just flowing over the borders and nothing is being done about it. We must do better." Adam was laid to rest at a private funeral service in February 2024.
His career has been blighted by accusations of dodgy dealings
It's clear that Rick Harrison's personal life hasn't been the easiest, but what about his business dealings? Rick might be the person to go to if you want to know about things you should never buy at a pawn shop, but does his expertise make him a squeaky-clean businessman? The answer is a little more complex than fans may realize. The Gold & Silver Pawn Shop is a Las Vegas institution, but Rick's career has been blighted by rumors of dodgy dealings. In 2014, Fox News reported that a man by the name of David Walters filed a criminal complaint, claiming that his niece unlawfully sold a coin collection to Rick's store.
Unfortunately, the police weren't quick enough to contact the shop, and by that point, the coins were thought to have been melted down. What's more, Walton claimed the collection was worth much more than the $9,500 his niece received for them. Two years prior to this incident, Rick was named in a lawsuit by a former promoter who claimed he was fired without cause, and left unpaid. CNBC News reported that Rick, his father, and fellow star Austin "Chumlee" Russell were all named in the case.
Add this to the lawsuit by the war veteran previously discussed and the battle with his own mother over his business, and it's clear that Rick's business dealings aren't smooth sailing — whether it's his fault or not.