Richard Harrison, the curmudgeonly patriarch of the “Pawn Stars” family whose grumbling about the goings-on in the Las Vegas shop he ran with his son and grandson made him a reality TV star, has died at 77.

“Richard Benjamin ‘The Old Man’ Harrison passed away this morning surrounded by those he loved. He will be tremendously missed by our family, the team at Gold & Silver Pawn and his many fans the world over,” Rick Harrison told Fox News. “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. 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. We appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers and ask that we are provided some privacy at this time.”

A statement from the Gold & Silver Pawn shop added, “he was surrounded by loving family this past weekend and went peacefully.”

Harrison’s grandson Corey posted, “I was lucky enough to spend 15 years of my life working with the old man. He wasn’t just a grandfather, he was truly a best friend as well. I’m truly blessed to have had him as a mentor.”

The Navy veteran opened the Gold & Silver Pawn store with his son Rick in 1989. The Harrisons and their pawn shop rose to fame on the hit History Channel series, “Pawn Stars,” which premiered in 2009 and has been on the air for 15 seasons. Harrison is survived by his wife Joanne and their three sons, Joseph, Rick and Chris.