A Father’s Grief, Revisited
Today, March 20, 2025, the name Adam Harrison surfaces again—not because of a new tragedy, but because his father, Rick Harrison, has once more opened his heart about the son he lost. Over a year after Adam’s death on January 19, 2024, the Pawn Stars creator sat down with Graham Bensinger for an interview released this week, peeling back the layers of grief that still linger. Though Adam didn’t die today, Rick’s words make it feel as though the wound is fresh, a reminder of a life extinguished too soon by a fentanyl overdose at the age of 39.
Adam Harrison’s Story
Adam Harrison wasn’t a fixture on Pawn Stars like his father Rick or his brother Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison. He lived a quieter existence, away from the cameras that made his family famous. But behind the scenes, Adam battled demons that Rick fought tirelessly to help him overcome. “I think about him every day,” Rick shared in the interview. “In his 20s, he had the drug problems, and I put him in rehab so many times. Every time, he’d be doing great, and then it would fall back.”
That cycle—hope followed by heartbreak—is one Rick says he’s heard “from a million people.” For Adam, it ended tragically in a Las Vegas guest house, where he was found unresponsive. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s report confirmed the grim reality, and a family representative told USA TODAY that fentanyl was the culprit. “It wasn’t heroin,” Rick clarified. “He ended up getting some fentanyl that killed him.”
A Father’s Second-Guessing
Rick Harrison, now 59, is no stranger to tough moments—his life in the pawn business has taught him resilience. But nothing compares to losing a child. “When you lose a kid, you second guess everything,” he told Bensinger. “Could I have done something different? I think I did everything right, but you just sit in your head (thinking), ‘What if I did this? What if I did this?’ … You have a hundred things go through your mind. There is nothing worse than losing a kid.”
That raw honesty strikes a chord today, March 20, 2025, as we reflect on Adam’s story. It’s not just about the day he died—it’s about the days that follow, the quiet moments when a father wrestles with “what ifs” and the weight of a loss that never fully lifts.
A Life Cut Short
Adam was pronounced dead in that guest house over a year ago, but his story resonates now more than ever. The fentanyl crisis, which Rick unwittingly became a voice against after Adam’s death, continues to claim lives across the country. It’s a silent epidemic that doesn’t care about fame or family ties, and Rick’s experience mirrors countless others. “You hear the same story from a million people,” he said, a stark reminder that Adam’s death is both deeply personal and painfully universal.
Rick’s reflection today doesn’t bring Adam back, but it keeps his memory alive. It’s a call to listen—to the grief of a father, to the struggles of those battling addiction, and to the urgent need for change. Adam Harrison didn’t die today, but his story echoes loudly, thanks to a father who refuses to let it fade.
Honoring Adam Today
As we sit here on March 20, 2025, Rick Harrison’s words invite us to pause. Adam’s life mattered—to his father, to his family, to the son he left behind, Colton. And though he’s been gone for over a year, today feels like a moment to honor him anew. Rick’s vulnerability reminds us that grief doesn’t have an expiration date, and neither does love.
So, who was Adam Harrison who “died today”? He was a son, a father, a man caught in a struggle bigger than himself. He didn’t leave us today, but through Rick’s interview, we’re reminded of the day he did—and the days since, where his absence still shapes a family’s world. Let’s hold space for that today, and maybe, just maybe, find a way to keep others from the same fate.