Matt Brown, the eldest son in Discovery Channel’s Alaskan Bush People, was found dead on 31 May 2026 after his body was recovered from the Okanogan River in Washington state. He was 42.
His body was located by a private search team before being handed to the Okanogan County coroner for formal identification, as reported by NBC News.
His brother Bear Brown announced the death the same evening in an emotional TikTok video, breaking the news to the family’s global fanbase.
What we know about Matt Brown’s death
In his announcement, Bear revealed that his brother “has been struggling for a long time with alcohol and drugs,” and said the cause of death appeared to be suicide.
No further confirmation from the county coroner had been issued at the time of publishing.
Matt had been reported as missing ahead of the discovery of his body near Washington’s Okanogan River.
The private search team that found him made the discovery on Saturday, and Bear’s TikTok that night brought an enormous outpouring of grief from fans who had followed the Brown family for more than a decade.
Brother Noah Brown has not yet issued a separate statement.
Matt Brown’s years on Alaskan Bush People
Matt was the oldest child of Billy and Ami Brown, the patriarch and matriarch behind the entire Alaskan Bush People series.
The show began airing on Discovery in 2014 and followed the family’s self-sufficient, off-grid lifestyle in the Alaskan wilderness.
Matt was a fixture across the show’s first eight seasons, from 2014 to 2019, before his involvement with the series came to an end.
His departure from the show was linked to personal struggles he had been open about over the years, including his battle with substance use.
It was that honesty, as much as his personality, that made him relatable to viewers who had watched him grow up on screen.
A family that has carried profound loss
The Brown family has faced serious tragedy in recent years beyond Matt’s death.
Patriarch Billy Brown died in February 2021 after suffering a seizure at the family’s property in Washington state.
Ami Brown, who battled stage 3 lung cancer diagnosed in 2017, has been reported to have recovered from the illness.
Matt’s passing adds to what has been a difficult chapter for a family that built its identity around survival and resilience.
He leaves behind a legacy shaped by years of public life, personal honesty about his struggles, and a fanbase that grew to care deeply about him.
What happens next in this story
The Okanogan County coroner’s office is expected to release a formal cause of death following its investigation.
No funeral arrangements have been publicly announced. New details will likely emerge in the days ahead as the family processes the loss.
