‘Alaskan Bush People’ Star Matt Brown Dies at 42—Everything To Know About the Reality Star’s Life After the Show
He left the show in 2019—now his family is sharing heartbreaking new details
Key Takeaways
AI-generated summary reviewed by our editorial team.- Matt Brown, 42, has been found dead; officials have not confirmed a cause yet.
- The Alaskan Bush People alum left in 2019 and later documented recovery on YouTube.
- Brothers Bear and Josh shared a family statement honoring Matt’s life, talents and struggles.
Alaskan Bush People star Matt Brown has been found dead at age 42. The former reality star and eldest child of the Brown family starred on his family’s show, Alaskan Bush People, from its premiere in 2014 until he abruptly left in 2019. There was no official explanation as to why he left the show, but in the years after he departed, he said he needed to focus on his struggle with substance abuse. Learn what we know about Matt’s life after his time on the show and what his family has said amidst the news.
Life after ‘Alaskan Bush People’
Matt left the reality series in 2019 and kept his life private for the most part. The oldest son relocated to California, where he was dealing with his struggles with substance abuse and focusing on a long-term recovery. Later, he launched a YouTube channel where he documented his wilderness adventures and his recovery with viewers.
What happened to Matt Brown?
It was confirmed on Sunday, May 31, that Matt Brown was found dead. When the news broke, his brother, Bear, took to social media to speak about what had happened.
“They found a body in the river a few hours ago, and it was positively identified as being Matt,” Bear shared in his video. “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. Obviously, the coroner and stuff still has to look at him and stuff, but I thought that y’all guys should know that it is him.”
Just days earlier, Bear shared a video on TikTok that he was told Matt had taken his own life, but at the time he said he “can’t confirm that that’s true.” However, it wasn’t long before Bear shared his second video confirming it.
What the family said
Now that his death has been confirmed, Bear and Josh released a statement on behalf of their entire family: his mother Ami, and siblings Gabriel, Noah, Snowbird and Rain.
“It is with broken hearts that we share the loss of our beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend, Matthew Brown,” the statement 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. Matt was intelligent, curious, creative, and endlessly fascinated by the world around him. He was a gifted outdoorsman, fisherman, boatman, artist, and lifelong learner. He loved adventure, nature, and discovering new things. Matt had an extraordinary mind.”
In the statement, the family noted that Matt “was not without mistakes, struggles, and painful chapters. Some of those chapters caused hurt, and we do not minimize that. At the same time, we do not believe any person’s life should be defined solely by their lowest moments.” It ended with the words, “He was imperfect. He was human. He was deeply loved. And he will be missed beyond words.”
Matt had been estranged from his family amid his struggles, though he did have some contact with Bear, who explained it was Matt keeping his distance rather than the family. He explained, “Everybody was trying to tell him that everybody cares about him, that everybody loves him. Matt distanced himself from the family completely.”
The family shared there is no exact cause of death yet. Stay tuned for more information.
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