GOLD RUSH Grandpa John Schnabel passes away at 96

Gold Rush RIP Grandpa John Schnabel

We have some very sad news to report for viewers of Gold Rush, as fan favorite Grandpa John Schnabel has died. The warm-hearted, always-smiling grandad of Parker Schnabel reportedly passed away peacefully last night.

From the Gold Rush Twitter account:

As you might imagine, there was a huge outpouring of condolences for the Schnabel family, and Parker took to Twitter to thank everyone for the love:

Parker’s brother, Payson Schnabel, also expressed his grief and gratitude for having such a loving soul in his life:

Rest in peace grandpa! You will always be remembered and never forgotten. I love you, and always will! 2/11/1920 -> 3/18/2016

A photo posted by Payson Schnabel (@paysonschnabel) on

In addition to his blood family, Grandpa John Schnabel’s Gold Rush family members have also been expressing their condolences:

I’ve written a lot about Grandpa John Schnabel over the last few years, and that is 100% because I loved the man. It’s rare on a television show, or in life, to meet someone with such an abundance of kindness, love, and positivity — all tempered by a lifetime of hard work and zest for life. Part of me is sad for the Schnabel family, but a much larger part of me is so happy for them having John in their lives for so long. Rest in peace John.

If you missed it, in honor of his 96th birthday, Grandpa John answered fan questions and gave advice, and, of course, it was just as great as you would think. Just click here to check that out. (Although I think I like the previous Q&A he did with Facebook fans even more!)



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