Matt Brown, who starred on the popular Discovery Channel reality show “Alaskan Bush People” from 2014 to 2019, has passed away at 43, his brother Bear Brown announced in a social media statement on Saturday, May 30.
Bear, 38, solemnly looked into the camera and told his TikTok followers, “There’s a update about Matt. They found a body in the river a few hours ago and it was positively identified as being Matt.”
The update comes hours after Matt’s family shared their latest concerns that they were in fear for his life. Bear said in a previous video he’d been told that Matt “took his own life” after being last seen near a river in Okanogan County in Washington.
After a determined search, police finally located the beloved son and brother.
Dressed in a sleeveless red tank top and a gold cross necklace, Bear went on to reveal that another of their brothers, Noah, was present when Matt’s body was discovered, and helped pull his deceased loved one out of the water.
Bear continued his heartbroken statement, “Noah identified him,” before going on to express his shock at what transpired. “I would’ve never suspected he would’ve hurt himself, honestly. He struggled for a long time, as I’ve mentioned. I was so worried he was gonna end up, you know, like OD’d or something like that. I didn’t think that he would hurt himself,” he reflected.
Fighting back tears, Bear said the cause of death was recorded as “self-inflicted” but the coroner still needs to examine Matt.
TMZ says they learned from sources that several of Matt’s family members had distanced themselves in recent years due to his “ongoing addiction struggles.”
Bear Brown Asks for Kindness After Losing His Cherished Brother Matt
“I would ask people to please, please be respectful to my family and to my mom, and please watch the comments that you leave,” Bear implored, before emphasizing that “sometimes words hurt more than fists can.”
He also asked fans to remember that “a lot of people have to log in and navigate those comments on that stuff too,” and pointed out that Matt in fact bemoaned “how negative” people were on his posts in one of his last videos.
He encouraged everyone to remember that the “people on the other side of that screen, they’re real people too.”
“I know a lot of y’all guys have helped as well, and you’ve been with my family and followed us for a long time, and I appreciate that. My family appreciates that as well,” he said. Bear explained he decided to film the video announcement because his family’s supporters “deserve to know.”
Matt Brown Cleared Up Marriage Rumors In Final Instagram Post & Says ‘Never Surrender’
In his final Instagram photo, which the reality star shared on July 22, 2024, Matt cleared up rumors that he was planning a wedding to Jaime, whom he referred to as “my friend” in the caption and explained that she moved to his rural area of Washington “for the good schools and friendly people.”
Clearing up their relationship status, Matt declared, “Jaime and I are not getting married, and we are not on the outs.” He insisted they were “just good friend” before switching the topic to thank his fans for their support in difficult times.
Matt guttingly finished his final Instagram post with the words, “Never give up, never surrender.”
