‘Little People, Big World’ Star Amy Roloff’s Dad Dies at 97

Little People, Big World star Amy Roloff and her family are mourning the loss of her father, Gordon Knight, who died on Monday, October 5, at 97 years old.

Amy’s youngest son, Jacob Roloff, whom she shares with her ex-husband Matt Roloff, shared the news on Instagram on Monday (October 26). “My grandpa passed away 3 weeks ago. Haven’t necessarily slowed down enough to process that properly,” Jacob wrote alongside a carousel of photos of his late grandfather.

“I always hoped and looked forward to visiting him and my grandma in Michigan as a kid,” he continued. “He may have intimidated me a bit, as grandpas can do, but he would smile and wink and you could feel softness.”

 

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A post shared by Jacob Roloff (@jacobroloff45)

Jacob said his grandfather was “cleaning his muzzleloaders and driving his corvette 4 months ago,” adding, “Going to miss him very very very much but I’m glad I found the time to go up and see him every summer in these last 4 years with Mateo, after far too long of a gap.”

He went on to say he wished he’d asked his grandfather more questions, especially about his time serving in the Korean War. “I enjoyed just sitting on the deck with him though,” Jacob shared. “He saw a lot, an insane amount. Was able to vote for FDR, and ended up taking pictures of his great grandkids with an iPhone. Very admirable person who kept active, kept social, kept kind, kept reading, kept living.”

 

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A post shared by Amy Roloff (@amyjroloff)

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Amy commented on her son’s post, writing, “So beautifully said Jacob. I’m going to miss him lots too. So many memories. Never often enough to take all you four kids to see grandma and grandpa over the years. I’m happy you had a chance to go and visit grandpa with me as an adult. I hope each one of you will have a special fond memory of him.”

Gordon worked as a civil/structural engineer for Ford Motor Company for 30 years and occasionally appeared on the family’s long-running TLC reality series. The show came to an end in 2024 after 25 seasons.