‘Alaskan Bush People’ star Matt Brown dead at 43 after sibling helped pull body from river, brother says

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“Alaskan Bush People” star Matt Brown, 43, has died after his body was recovered from a Washington state river, according to his brother Bear Brown.

Bear, who had shared earlier in the week that he feared Matt had died by suicide, confirmed Saturday evening that authorities identified the body that was found in the Okanogan River as his brother.

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

Matt Brown in a red tank top with a beard and long blond hair.
Bear Brown shared on TikTok that Matt has died after his body was recovered from a Washington state river.

Matt Brown wearing a red tank top.
Bear said he believes his brother died by suicide, adding that the coroner still has to examine him.
Bear said that Noah Brown, the youngest brother among the seven Brown siblings, was the first family member to see Matt’s body and assist in the recovery efforts.

“Noah helped them pull the body out of the water and Noah identified [Matt],” he said.

Bear said he believes Matt died by suicide, adding that the coroner still has to examine his body before an official cause of death is determined.

“I would’ve never thought that Matt would hurt himself. It does look as though it was self-inflicted,” Bear said, adding that his brother had been struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, along with “other issues” he had kept private.

Matt Brown looking at the camera in a video still.
Matt Brown, who appeared on “Alaskan Bush People” between 2014 and 2019, was 43 years old.TikTok/abpmattbrown
The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that it received a 911 call from someone who had spotted a male sitting in the shallow area of the Okanogan River. The caller claimed they heard a sound and found the man face down in the water and he was swept away.

A firearm was recovered from the area of the Okanogan River where the man was last seen, according to police.

Authorities launched a search but were initially unable to locate him before they suspended operations due to dangerous river conditions.

Bear asked fans to be respectful and avoid leaving negative comments as the family mourns.

The update came days after Bear shared “some really bad news” on TikTok, saying he had been told Matt “took his own life” but could not yet confirm the reports.

At the time, Bear said Matt had been seen “in a river, at a river or close to a river” and was later spotted “floating down the river.”

The cast of Alaskan Bush People standing on a dirt road in a forest.
“Alaskan Bush People” followed the Brown family as they lived off the grid in the wilderness.Discovery+
“All the witnesses are saying that it was Matt,” he said. “Someone definitely did, and a lot of people are thinking that it’s him … It looks like it is … It’s looking very likely that it is the case.”

Bear denied that the family had shunned him in recent years, claiming instead that Matt “didn’t want anything to do with the family.”

Bear also said Matt had recently been dealing with a difficult breakup.

Matt Brown, from Alaskan Bush People, inside a cabin.
Bear said Matt had been struggling for years with alcohol and drug addiction.Matt Brown/YouTube

Matt Brown and Gabe Brown posing in a forest.
“Alaskan Bush People” alum Matt Brown poses with brother Gabe.Instagram/gabrielstarbuckbrown11
“I guess he had been drinking too much. I don’t know all the details to it,” he said.

Concern grew over Matt last week after he posted a YouTube livestream showing himself nude, speaking incoherently and carrying what appeared to be a firearm.

Matt appeared in 79 episodes of “Alaskan Bush People” between 2014 and 2019, which starred his parents Billy and Ami and his siblings.

The Discovery Channel series followed the Brown family as they lived off the grid in the wilderness.