Key Points
Matt Brown’s death has been ruled a suicide.
The Alaskan Bush People alum’s body was pulled from a river over the weekend.
His brother, Bear, had previously shared that the family suspected Matt had died.
Days after Matt Brown was found dead, an official cause of death has been ruled for the Alaskan Bush People star.
Brown died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Okanogan County Coroner. Additionally, at the time of his death, he was under the influence of methamphetamine and “subsequent immersion in water” also played a factor.
On Saturday, Brown’s body was pulled from a river in Washington, with his younger brother Noah among those on the scene. Two days earlier, another Brown brother, Bear, posted on social media that he believed his brother had died after witnesses said that they saw him take his own life.
‘Alaskan Bush People’ star Matt Brown
Credit: Matt Brown/Instagram
The reality series Alaskan Bush People aired for 14 seasons on Discovery Channel, before signing off in 2022. The docudrama followed the extended Brown family as they lived off the grid together in Alaska. Matt had previously exited the show due to his ongoing addiction issues. Bear previously asked people to stop sending money to Matt, who he said was using the funds on his vices and needed to head to rehab.
“He has been struggling for a long time with alcohol and drugs,” Bear said of his older brother. “He has done a lot of stuff that people don’t even know about, and everyone thinks that the family has shunned him and won’t have anything to do with him, but that’s not actually the case. He didn’t want anything to do with the family.”
Bear insisted that he “encouraged [Matt] to stay on his path and keep on his sobriety.” The last time they spoke, Bear shared that Matt said he’d “fallen off the wagon,” and apparently he’d recently gone through a bad breakup and had “been drinking too much.”
And still, Bear admitted, “I would have never thought that Matt would take his own life.”
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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 post 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.”
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.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
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