This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-TALK (8255).
Matt Brown, who appeared in Discovery Channel’s “Alaskan Bush People,” has died. He was 42.
On Saturday, his brother, Bear Brown, took to social media to confirm Matt had been found dead after authorities had recovered a body from a Washington state river.
“They found a body in the river a few hours ago, and it was positively identified as being Matt,” Bear said in a TikTok video.
Bear confirmed their brother Noah was the one to positively identify Matt.
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“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.”
“It does look as though the injury is self-inflicted,” he continued. “Obviously, the coroner and stuff still has to look at him and stuff, but I thought that you guys should know that it is him.”
According to Page Six, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded Wednesday after receiving a 911 call from a witness who reported seeing a man sitting in a shallow section of the river. The caller later reported hearing a sound and finding the man face down in the water before he was swept away by the current.
A firearm was reportedly recovered from the area where the man was last seen, according to the outlet.
In the TikTok video, Bear urged fans to be respectful of his family’s privacy during this time.
“Please be respectful to the family, to my mom [Ami Brown] especially,” he said. “Please don’t attack my mom. Mom cares very much for Matt and always has.”
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Matt starred on “Alaskan Bush People” from 2014 to 2019, when he stepped away amid his addiction struggles.
During an interview with People in 2016, Matt opened up about his drinking, saying, “I could see myself spiraling.”
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“I started drinking lightly and then it got to be more and more,” he told the outlet. “That’s when I saw the problem around the corner, and I didn’t want to be one of those guys.”
“There was a lot of anxiety. It took a couple days to work up the guts to tell my parents,” he continued. “But their support was unbelievable. It instantly made me feel better and like I could be successful on this journey.”
After completing 35 days of treatment, Matt told the outlet he had gained a new perspective on life.
“I learned a lot about myself in those 35 days. I’ve turned my weakness into a strength,” he said. “In life, we all get lost every now and then and have to find our way back.”
This is not the first time the Brown family has been hit by tragedy.
Billy Brown, patriarch of the Brown family, died in 2021 after suffering a seizure. He was 68.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved patriarch Billy Brown passed away last night after suffering from a seizure,” the family said, per the outlet. “He was our best friend — a wonderful and loving dad, granddad and husband and he will be dearly missed.”
“He lived his life on his terms, off the grid and off the land and taught us to live like that as well,” Bear wrote on Instagram at the time. “We plan to honor his legacy going forward, and to continue with his dream. We ask for privacy and prayers during this painful time. God Bless Everyone!”
