Alaskan Bush People Star Matt Brown Dies at 43 After Brother Helps Recover Body From River, Sibling Says

Matt Brown, a former star of “Alaskan Bush People,” has died at the age of 43 after his body was recovered from the Okanogan River in Washington state, according to his brother Bear Brown. Bear said on TikTok that authorities positively identified the body as Matt’s and that Noah Brown, another brother, helped with the recovery and identification. The official cause of death has not yet been released, and Bear said the coroner still needs to examine the body.

Bear Brown said he believes Matt died by suicide, though he stressed that this has not yet been officially confirmed. He said Matt had been dealing with long-standing struggles involving alcohol and drug addiction, along with other personal issues that he kept private. Bear also asked the public to be respectful and avoid negative comments as the family grieves.

According to the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office, authorities received a 911 call on Wednesday after someone reported seeing a male sitting in a shallow area of the river. The caller said they heard a sound and then saw the man face down in the water before he was swept away. Police said a firearm was recovered near the area where the man was last seen. Search efforts were launched, but officials were initially unable to find him and later suspended the operation because of dangerous river conditions.

Bear first raised concern earlier in the week when he said he had been told Matt “took his own life,” but that he could not yet verify the reports. He later said multiple witnesses believed it was Matt and described the situation as increasingly likely to be the case. He also said Matt had recently gone through a difficult breakup and had been drinking heavily, though he said he did not know every detail.

Matt Brown appeared in 79 episodes of “Alaskan Bush People” from 2014 to 2019. The Discovery Channel reality series followed the Brown family, including parents Billy and Ami and their children, as they lived off the grid in the wilderness. In recent days, concern about Matt had grown after he posted a YouTube livestream in which he appeared nude, spoke incoherently, and carried what seemed to be a firearm.

The Brown family has not yet released a separate formal statement beyond the updates shared by Bear. The case remains under investigation as authorities await the coroner’s findings. If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available through the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.