“Pawn Stars” lead Rick Harrison on Monday tore into the narcotic trafficking crisis coming through the nation’s southern border, revealing that his son had fallen victim to it.
His son, Adam “Wax” Harrison, was found dead in Las Vegas last Friday at the age of 39. His heartbroken father on Monday confirmed that the tragedy was caused by overdosing on fentanyl.
“Yes, I can confirm Adam died from a fentanyl overdose,” the family and pawnshop patriarch said in a statement to media outlets.
“The fentanyl crisis in this country must be taken more seriously,” the 58-year-old added. “It seems it is just flowing over the borders and nothing is being done about it. We must do better.”
Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
In a report published Jan. 17, the DEA said its agents over the past year have seized more than 77 million fentanyl pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl—an amount equivalent to more than 386 million deadly doses, enough to kill every American.
A significant portion of DEA’s fentanyl seizure was disguised as prescription drug pills. Those fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills move into the United States across the southern border after being manufactured by narco cartels in Mexico, typically using starter chemicals imported from China.
“DEA laboratory testing in 2023 showed that 7 out of 10 pills tested contain a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl,” the federal drug control agency said. “This is an increase from 4 out of 10 pills in 2021 and 6 out of 10 pills in 2022.”
Harrison Family Grieves
On Friday night, Mr. Harrison shared a brief message on Instagram alongside a photo of himself and Adam smiling in a bar.“You will always be in my heart!” the family and pawnshop patriarch wrote. “I love you, Adam.”
“Wax wtf I will always love you bubba,” he wrote alongside the image.
Several high-profile personalities sent their condolences, including Donald Trump Jr., who appeared with Mr. Harrison at a get-out-the-vote rally in Las Vegas for his father ahead of the 2016 presidential elections.
“I’m so sorry, man,” he commented under the mourning father’s Instagram post.
The Harrison family gained national fame after starring on the History Channel’s “Pawn Stars,” a long-running reality television series that follows the deals made at the family-run Gold & Silver Pawn Shop outside Las Vegas. The hit show gives the audience an inside look at the world of the pawn shop business, where the Harrison family uses their sharp eyes and skills to assess the value of items coming in and out of their store.
Since 2009, the series has aired for 22 seasons, with the latest season running from March to June 2023.
According to the Review-Journal, Mr. Harrison shares his two eldest sons, Corey and Adam, with his first former wife, Kim. He later married and welcomed his third son, Jake, with his second former wife, Tracy. Jake made his debut on “Pawn Stars” in 2021.
He also has three daughters: Sarina, Ciana, and Marissa, according to the Review-Journal. They didn’t appear on “Pawn Stars.”
In 2013, Mr. Harrison married his third wife, Deanna, but the couple divorced in 2020. He is now married to a woman named Amanda Palmer.
Mr. Harrison’s father, Richard, also starred in “Pawn Stars.” Known among the audience as “The Old Man,” he appeared in nearly 300 episodes before his death in 2018 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 77.
Adam Harrison had never appeared on “Pawn Stars.”
Meanwhile, Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison has been working at the family store since he was nine years old and became a fixture of the show alongside his father and grandfather. Episode plots often involved Corey arguing with his family over the knowledge of the shop’s inventory and his buying expensive items. He also appeared in spin-off programs like “Pawnography” and “Pawn Stars Do America.”
In a 2012 interview with the Huffington Post, Corey said that Adam used to work at the pawnshop but moved on to become a plumber and had little interest in appearing on his family’s reality series.
When asked whether Adam would appear in 2012, Corey told the outlet: “Most likely not. He’s a plumber now.”
Over the course of 14 years, “Pawn Stars” has made each of its core cast members millionaires. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Rick Harrison has about $9 million to his name, while Corey is worth roughly $4 million. Richard Harrison, the founder of the now-world-famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, had a net worth of $8 million before his death.
