Owen and Luke Wilson's father, Robert Wilson, has died

Robert Wilson, television pioneer and father of Owen, Luke and Andrew Wilson, passed away on Friday, May 5. He was 75.

The news broke via KERA, which is a radio station Wilson "built from the ground up." The Dallas PBS station noted that he died after a battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Owen Wilson first opened up about his father's illness in August of 2015. The Wilson brothers were very close to their father and looked up to him for inspiration.

“For me and my brothers, there just wasn’t a bigger influence on us. Maybe it sounds trite or something, but I really believe that his spirit gets carried on through me, the way I like to joke around,” Owen told the Dallas Morning News.

KERA recognized Wilson's many accomplishments as it's station manager from 1968 until 1975. He helped the station move from black and white to color and launched news anchor Jim Lehrer's career by co-creating Newsroom. Wilson is also credited for bringing Monty Python’s Flying Circus to American television in 1974.

Wilson is survived by his wife, Laura and his three sons as well as his grandchildren.

Luke Wilson stated that his father's memory can be honored through donations to PBS.

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