Alaskan Bush People star Matt Brown dies at 43

Matt Brown, a star of Discovery’s “Alaskan Bush People,” has died at 43. His brother Bear Brown confirmed the news in a May 30 TikTok video after Matt’s body was found in a river and identified by family members. Bear said a coroner still must complete an exam

Matt Brown’s family confirmed the unthinkable on May 30—after searchers found his body in a river and identified it as him.

Bear Brown, Matt’s brother and an “Alaskan Bush People” star, posted an emotional TikTok video to deliver the news. “They found a body in the river a few hours ago,” Bear said. He added that it was “positively identified as being Matt.” Bear also said their younger brother. Noah Brown. had been with the searchers and helped pull the body from the water. “And Noah identified him,” Bear said.

Bear noted that the coroner still had to complete an examination before an official cause of death could be determined. Even so, he said he believes his brother died by suicide.

In the same video, Bear didn’t hold back about Matt’s personal battles. He described long-running struggles that included addiction, saying he was worried Matt might die from overdosing. “I would have never suspected he would have hurt himself,” Bear said. “Honestly. he struggled for a long time… and I was so worried he was gonna end up… like OD’d or something like that.”.

Bear said it “does look as though the injury is self-inflicted,” and he urged viewers to treat his family with care. “I would ask people to please, please be respectful to my family, and to my mom,” he said, warning that “sometimes words can hurt more than fists can.”

He also addressed the kind of backlash Matt had been dealing with online. Bear said that in one of Matt’s last videos, Matt spoke about how negative people were on his posts. “You guys should keep in mind that people on the other side of your screen… are real people too. ” Bear said. He added a message to viewers: negative comments aimed at Bear were one thing. but the family should be left out. “If you all want to leave negative stuff about myself. I honestly don’t really care… But please leave my family out of it. ” Bear said before signing off.

The timing of Bear’s May 30 confirmation followed days of uncertainty. A day before the news was confirmed, Bear posted a TikTok on May 29 describing what he said he’d been told about an incident involving Matt near Washington state’s Okanogan River.

In that May 29 video, Bear said he had not been able to verify the information 100 percent. “I got some really bad news about Matt that I wanted to share with you all guys,” he said. “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.”.

Bear said witnesses had called police, and that law enforcement had been searching for Matt’s body. “They called the police, and that they’ve been scouring, doing what they do, trying to find the body,” he said.

The search effort began after the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release on May 27. The statement said a caller reported to Okanogan 911 that the caller had just spoken to a man sitting in the shallow water of the Okanogan River south of Oroville. Washington. The caller looked away. heard a sound. turned back. and saw the man was face down in the water drifting away in the current. Law enforcement, fire and EMS responded but couldn’t locate the man. Additional deputies arrived with one boat. two Jet Ski-type watercraft. and an aerial drone. while the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife also assisted with a boat.

The press release said a firearm was recovered from the water in the area where the man was last seen.

Before the final confirmation, Bear had also spoken about Matt’s long-standing issues. He said Matt had been struggling for a long time with alcohol and drugs. “He has been struggling for a long time, you know, with alcohol and with drugs and stuff,” Bear said. “I was getting really worried about him.”.

Bear addressed speculation about why the brothers were distant too, saying Matt’s withdrawal was his own choice. “Everyone thinks that the family has, like, shunned him,” Bear said. “But that’s not actually the case. He didn’t want anything to do with the family.” Bear said communication had become infrequent. mostly limited to occasional phone conversations.

He recalled what he said was their last conversation. Bear said he tried to encourage Matt to stay on his sobriety. When Bear remembered their final call. he said Matt told him he had “fallen off the wagon.” Bear responded with what he described as support and urgency to get help. “Everybody falls off… just getting back on it. Go rehab if you’ve got to. ” Bear said. adding that Matt “fought it a lot before.” Bear later said that turned out to be their last call. “That was the last call I had with him,” Bear said.

Bear said he chose to speak publicly while the search was still underway because he wanted the news to come first from family. “I wanted your guys to hear it from the family first,” he concluded on May 29. “I will let y’all guys know more. as I know more. ” while asking viewers to be respectful—especially toward Bear’s mother.

Matt Brown was 43 and was the oldest brother in the Brown clan that starred on Discovery’s reality television series “Alaskan Bush People” for 14 seasons, running from 2014 to 2022.

Matt Brown Bear Brown Noah Brown Alaskan Bush People Discovery Okanogan River Oroville Washington Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office TikTok suicide addiction sobriety