Gene Raymond Chrisley Died Before the Premiere of 'Chrisley Knows Best'

Reality star Todd Chrisley has been though a lot in life even with the success of his show Chrisley Knows Best. He's had numerous health issues including a serious break to his leg, a burst salivary gland, gout, and more. And we can't forget that he's had a public falling-out with his daughter Lindsie. He went as far as to call her a "catalyst" for problems in the family.

But Todd has also struggled before Chrisley Knows Best began. His father, Gene Raymond Chrisley, passed away a few years before the family's reality show premiered, although that hasn't stopped them from speaking fondly of him on air. But what happened to Gene? What was his cause of death? Here's what we know.

According to The Sun, Gene died of cancer back in 2012 when he was 77 years old. The type of cancer wasn't specified.

But it still feels as if he's a part of his family's reality show. They speak highly of him all the time.

The family continues to post pictures of Gene on social media and talk about his accomplishments. He served in the army and fought in the Korean War and earned a bronze star, according to Find a Grave. In one Instagram post, Todd says that his dad was just 16 years old when he saw combat.

During Season 5, one plot line of the show followed Faye, Gene's widow, as she tried online dating. She and Gene got married in the '60s and Todd has said on the show that his grandfather was the only man she ever dated. But that changes when she joins Christian Mingle in search of a new man.

When Todd finds out about his mom dating, he isn't happy about it. Faye did meet up with a guy from the dating site and Todd insists on being the chaperone. But he doesn't tell Faye about this. He just shows up at the date and sits down at the next table.

"I'm sure the guy that was there with my mom is a very nice gentleman. But, he's not my dad. My mother has never dated anyone in her entire life other than my dad," Todd said in a confessional on the show.

In one episode, Faye meets a guy when she's supposed to chaperone her granddaughter Savannah's date. But when Savannah sees what her grandmother is up to, she makes a comment that Faye and this mystery man are a little too close.

Faye has even been open about flirting with different guys who've appeared on the show. Although she's been on some dates, she doesn't believe anyone can compare to Gene. During one episode, she was looking through a dating site with her grandson Kyle. They both agreed that no one looked as good as Gene did and she said that she's never going to find another man like him.