Key Points
The Brown family, who starred in Discovery’s Alaskan Bush People, are mourning one of their own.
The reality stars are paying tribute to the loss of Matt Brown, 42, whose body was recovered Saturday in Washington’s Okanogan River.
Matt starred on Alaskan Bush People from 2014 until 2019, when he stepped away amid his public struggles with addiction.
Matt Brown’s family is honoring his life, messy parts and all.
Over the weekend, news arrived that the eldest son of the family featured on Discovery’s Alaskan Bush People was found dead at 42. Local authorities recovered his body from the Okanogan River in Washington state on Saturday, May 30, days after his family shared their belief that Matt ended his own life after a history with substance abuse and estrangement from his family.
On Monday, the family put out an emotional statement paying tribute to the many facets of Matt’s life.
“It is with broken hearts that we share the loss of our beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend, Matthew Brown,” the Instagram statement from the family began. “To millions of viewers, Matt was known as one of the original stars of Alaskan Bush People. To us, he was so much more.”
They went on to praise Matt as “intelligent, curious, creative, and endlessly fascinated by the world around him” adding that he was “a gifted outdoorsman, fisherman, boatman, artist, and lifelong learner.”
Matt Brown
Credit: Matt Brown/Instagram
“Those who truly knew Matt knew his heart,” the post continued. “He was compassionate, generous with his time, and deeply wanted to help others.”
Alongside his parents and six siblings, Matt appeared on the 14-season reality series about the Brown family’s life off the grid in Alaska and, later, Washington. Matt exited the show in 2019 while publicly grappling with addiction.
The Brown family went on to praise Matt for using his periods of sobriety to openly share “his struggles with addiction and mental health.”
They added, “He encouraged others to seek help, offered hope to people fighting similar battles, and reminded them they were not alone. We are incredibly proud of the lives he touched. Matt spent many years battling serious mental health challenges and addiction. Like countless families facing similar circumstances, we experienced periods of hope, recovery, setbacks, heartbreak, and reconciliation. Our Dad, Billy Brown, never stopped believing in Matt’s ability to heal and find peace, and neither did we.”
The statement acknowledged that Matt’s life included “mistakes, struggles, and painful chapters” but also noted, “we do not believe any person’s life should be defined solely by their lowest moments.”
The Browns concluded, “When we think of Matt, we will remember the young man who loved the wilderness, could navigate rough waters, draw for hours, lose himself in learning, make us laugh unexpectedly, and dream bigger than most people ever dared. He was imperfect. He was human. He was deeply loved. And he will be missed beyond words.”
Matt, the son of Ami and Billy Brown, rose to fame as part of the reality series about his family’s unconventional lifestyle in the wilderness. He was part of the show from its 2014 premiere until his 2019 exit. In the years that followed, Matt lived outside of the spotlight and separately from much of the Brown family, though he did share updates with fans through YouTube and social media.
Matt Brown
Credit: Matt Brown/Instagram
Solomon Isaiah “Bear” Brown, 38, revealed his brother’s death Saturday on Instagram.
“They found a body in the river a few hours ago, and it was positively identified as being Matt,” Bear began. He shared that his younger brother, Noah, 33, was present to identify Matt.
“I would have never suspected he would have hurt himself, honestly,” Bear said. “He struggled for a long time, as I’ve mentioned. And I worried he was going to end up, like, OD’d or something like that. I didn’t think he would hurt himself.”
He continued, “It does look as though the injury is self-inflicted. Obviously, the coroner… still has to look at him and stuff, but I thought that y’all guys should know that it is him.”
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The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office in Washington detailed its investigation into an unidentified man in a press release on Thursday. “A caller reported to Okanogan 911 that he had just spoken to a male sitting in the shallow water of the Okanogan River south of Oroville,” the release read. “The caller turned away from the man sitting in the river, heard a sound, turned back toward the man in the water, and saw the man was face down in the water drifting away in the current.”
The release also noted that “a firearm was recovered from the water in the area where the male was last seen.”
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