Matt Brown of ‘Alaskan Bush People’ Dies at 42

Matt Brown, known for his role on Discovery Channel’s ‘Alaskan Bush People,’ has passed away at 42. Confirming the news, his brother Bear Brown announced on social media that Matt’s body was found in a Washington state river. ‘They found a body in the river a few hours ago, and it was positively identified as being Matt,’ Bear revealed in a TikTok video, and shared that their brother Noah was the one to verify the identification of Matt’s body.

Bear Brown expressed shock at the circumstances, noting, ‘I would have never suspected he would have hurt himself, honestly. 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 added that the injury appeared self-inflicted, although the coroner would need to confirm details.

According to Page Six, authorities from the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call on Wednesday after a witness reported seeing a man sitting in a shallow part of the river. The witness later heard a noise, discovered the man face down, and saw him swept away by the river’s current. The outlet noted that a firearm was recovered from the area where the last sighting occurred.

In his video, Bear appealed for privacy, particularly for their mother, Ami Brown. He said, ‘Please be respectful to the family, to my mom [Ami Brown] especially. Please don’t attack my mom. Mom cares very much for Matt and always has.’

Matt Brown featured on ‘Alaskan Bush People’ from 2014 until 2019, leaving the show during his struggles with addiction. In a People interview from 2016, Matt spoke about his drinking issues, stating, ‘I could see myself spiraling.’ He shared, ‘I started drinking lightly and then it got to be more and more. That’s when I saw the problem around the corner, and I didn’t want to be one of those guys.’ He acknowledged anxiety and expressed gratitude for his parents’ unwavering support.

After a 35-day treatment, Matt gained new insight into life. He said, ‘I learned a lot about myself in those 35 days. I’ve turned my weakness into a strength. In life, we all get lost every now and then and have to find our way back.’

The Brown family has faced tragedy before. Billy Brown, the patriarch, died in 2021 at 68 following a seizure. The family, as confirmed by representatives to Fox News, stated, ‘We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved patriarch Billy Brown passed away last night after suffering from a seizure. He was our best friend — a wonderful and loving dad, granddad, and husband and he will be dearly missed.’ Bear Brown shared, ‘He lived his life on his terms, off the grid and off the land and taught us to live like that as well.’ The family requested privacy and prayers during these difficult times.