The reality star appeared on Discovery’s ‘Alaskan Bush People’ from 2014 to 2019 before documenting his recovery journey and life off the grid on YouTube

Matt Brown, the eldest son of the Brown family featured on Discovery’s Alaskan Bush People, has died. He was 42.

He was found dead in Washington on Saturday, May 30, his brother, Solomon Isaiah “Bear” Brown, revealed on Instagram. In a prior social media post, Bear, 38, said their family believed that Matt, who had a history of substance abuse and was estranged from his family, had ended his own life.

“They found a body in the river a few hours ago, and it was positively identified as being Matt,” Bear said 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,” continued the sibling. “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.”

Bear added that their brother, Noah Brown, was at the scene “and helped them pull [Matt] out of the water,” as well as provide a positive identification. Search efforts had previously been suspended earlier in the day.

News of Matt’s death comes shortly after Bear shared an emotional TikTok video, in which he said he had heard about the reports involving Matt but could not independently confirm them at the time.

“I can’t confirm that it’s 100% true right now, but it is what I’m hearing,” Bear said in the video.

Matt Brown.

Matt Brown.Matt Brown/Instagram

Prior to the confirmation, Bear told followers that witnesses had reportedly seen Matt near a river in Washington before authorities were alerted.

Bear also reflected on one of his last conversations with Matt, saying the pair had spoken after unexpectedly running into each other at a Walmart before Bear left for Florida.

“He called me after that, and he said that he had fallen off the wagon,” Bear recalled. “And I was like, ‘Well, get back on it, man. Everybody falls off. Just get back on it. Go to rehab if you’ve got to. You’ve got this.’”

Near the end of the video, Bear asked fans not to direct blame toward their mother, Ami Brown. “Please be respectful to the family, to my mom especially,” he said. “Please don’t attack my mom. Mom cares very much for Matt and always has.”

Matt was born to Ami and Billy Brown. He rose to fame as part of the reality series Alaskan Bush People, which followed the family’s unconventional lifestyle in the wilderness.

Matt starred on Alaskan Bush People from the series’ 2014 premiere until he stepped away in 2019 amid his public struggles with addiction. In the years that followed, he largely lived outside of the spotlight and separately from much of the Brown family while sharing occasional updates with fans through YouTube and social media.

He previously spoke publicly about his struggles with alcohol and his decision to seek treatment.

In a 2016 interview with PEOPLE, Brown said he recognized that his drinking was becoming a problem before entering an inpatient rehabilitation program. “I could see myself spiraling,” he said at the time.

Brown further explained that he began drinking more frequently after spending time with friends in town and eventually realized he was making what he described as “bad choices.”

“I started drinking lightly and then it got to be more and more,” he told PEOPLE. “That’s when I saw the problem around the corner, and I didn’t want to be one of those guys.”

The reality star said opening up to his family about his struggles was one of the hardest parts of seeking help.

“There was a lot of anxiety. It took a couple days to work up the guts to tell my parents,” he said. “But their support was unbelievable. It instantly made me feel better and like I could be successful on this journey.”

Following 35 days in treatment, Brown told PEOPLE he had gained a new perspective on himself and his future.

“I learned a lot about myself in those 35 days. I’ve turned my weakness into a strength,” he said. “In life, we all get lost every now and then and have to find our way back.”

In one of his most recent videos, Brown told followers he was “doing good” despite difficult circumstances. He revealed that he had recently spent a night sleeping in a cemetery because he could not find a place he felt was safe to stay.

“Last night I slept in a cemetery. I couldn’t find anywhere safe to sleep,” he said, recalling advice he said his late father once gave him about sleeping in cemeteries while traveling.

Brown said he had “bedded down between two graves” before reassuring supporters that he was doing okay.

Matt Brown.

Matt Brown.Matt Brown/Instagram

“I’m good up here. I’m good in here,” he said. “Thank you to everybody for all of your encouragement, all of your support.”

After leaving television, Brown built a following on YouTube, where he documented his life, recovery journey and personal reflections. His channel amassed more than 65,000 subscribers and nearly 8 million views across more than 1,000 videos.

In his YouTube bio, Brown reflected on his unconventional upbringing and the life he built after stepping away from reality television.

“My name is Matt. My world is fire and rain,” he wrote. “I grew up in the most remote parts of the Alaskan wilderness, what we who live there call the bush.”

He later described his channel as being devoted to “self-growth, self-understanding, recovery, and useful entertainment,” adding that he lived “a quiet, free life on my own terms in recovery.”

Brown was the eldest of Billy and Ami’s seven children and appeared alongside his parents and siblings throughout the early years of the series, helping introduce viewers to the family’s off-grid lifestyle in Alaska and later Washington.

Matt is survived by his mother, Ami; his brothers, Joshua “Bam Bam” Brown, Solomon Isaiah “Bear” Brown, Gabriel “Gabe” Brown and Noah Brown; and his sisters, Amora Jean “Bird” Brown and Merry Christmas Kathryn Raindrop “Rain” Brown. He was preceded in death by his father, Billy, who died in 2021.