Rick Harrison opens up about son Adam’s tragic fentanyl overdose and struggles with grief

Pawn Stars star Rick Harrison reflects on son Adam’s overdose, his struggles with addiction, and painful regrets.

Rick Harrison, best known for Pawn Stars, is mourning the loss of his son, Adam, who tragically died from a fentanyl overdose at 39 in January 2024.

In a candid conversation on In Depth With Graham Bensinger, released on March 20, Harrison opened up about the heartbreak of losing his son and the lingering questions he asks himself every day.

“I think about him every day,” Harrison said. “In his 20s, he had drug problems. I put him in rehab so many times. Every time he’d be doing great, and then he would just fall back. You’ve heard the same story from a million people, and it got really bad. Apparently, it wasn’t heroin he got—he ended up getting fentanyl. It killed him.”

Despite multiple attempts at rehabilitation, Adam struggled with addiction. Tragically, what he thought was heroin turned out to be fentanyl, which took his life. He is survived by his parents, Harrison and ex-wife Kim, his brothers, Corey and Jake, and his three daughters.

“The thing is, when you lose a kid, you second guess f—ing everything,” Harrison admitted. “Could I have done this? Could I have done that? It goes through your brain constantly.”

Harrison revealed that Adam had once broken into his home, leading him to hope that jail time might help his recovery. “I figured maybe if we put him in jail for two months, it would clean him out, but he just went straight back on it,” he said. “You want to give them tough love, but I never thought that would happen.”

Now, Harrison has learned to cherish every moment with his loved ones. “Appreciate what you have because you’re not always going to have it,” he shared. “I spend as much time with my kids and grandkids as I can. You enjoy life.”

Harrison’s heartbreaking loss serves as a reminder of the dangers of addiction.