Matt Brown’s family is mourning a heartbreaking loss.
The Alaskan Bush People star was found dead in the Okanogan River in Washington on May 30, according to his brother, Bear Brown. He was 43.
“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 shared May 30.
Bear also revealed that their younger brother, Noah Brown, helped recover the body from the water and was the first member of the family to identify Matt.
While officials are still waiting for the coroner’s examination to determine an official cause of death, Bear said he believes his brother may have died by suicide.
“I would’ve never suspected he would have hurt himself, honestly,” Bear said per ENews. “He struggled for a long time, as I’ve mentioned. I was so worried he was gonna end up OD’d or something like that. I didn’t think that he would hurt himself. It does look as though the injury is self-inflicted.”
Noting that Matt had often spoken about the hateful comments he received online, Bear Brown urged fans to show compassion toward his family during the difficult time.
“Please be respectful to my family and to my mom, and please watch the comments that you leave,” Bear said. “The people you see on the other side of your screen are real people, too.”
Just one day before Matt’s body was found, Bear shared concerns that his brother may have died after reports surfaced about an incident near Washington’s Okanogan River.
“I got some really bad news about Matt that I wanted to share with you all guys,” Bear said via a May 29 TikTok. “But I wanted to start out by saying that I can’t confirm that it’s 100 percent true right now, but it is what I’m hearing. I’m being told that late last night that Matt took his own life.”
According to Bear Brown, witnesses told authorities they believed his brother, Matt Brown, may have taken his own life before falling into Washington’s Okanogan River. Bear said emergency crews searched the area after reports came in, but initially could not find a body.
The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed it received a report about a man sitting in the shallow part of the river. According to officials, the caller briefly looked away, then turned back to see the man face down in the water and drifting with the current. Authorities responded but were unable to locate him at the time. A firearm was also found at the scene, though officials did not publicly identify the person involved.
Bear also spoke about Matt’s struggles with addiction, claiming his older brother had battled alcohol and drug issues for years and had become increasingly isolated from the family. He said the two mainly kept in touch through occasional phone calls, during which Bear tried to encourage Matt to continue his sobriety journey and seek help when needed.
Bear recalled that the last time they spoke, Matt admitted he had relapsed. “Everybody falls off,” Bear said he told him. “Just get back on.” He added that he never expected his brother would take his own life.
At the end of his video, Bear said he wanted fans to hear the news directly from the family and again asked people to be respectful, especially toward their mother, during the painful time.
