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Credit: Discovery
The Alaskan Bush People family has sadly experienced a major loss, as Matt Brown was reportedly found dead at the end of May. His passing unfortunately marks the death of yet another notable reality star in the midst of the 2026 TV schedule. Now, Matt’s brother, Joshua “Bam Bam” Brown, has spoken out in the aftermath of his passing. Bam Bam’s candid reflection not only includes thoughts on his brother’s life but also on how he and their family will remember Matt as time goes on.
It was TMZ that confirmed the death of Matt Brown, who was reported missing by his family members on May 27. Subsequently, there were reports of people having allegedly seen Brown’s body floating in the Okanogan River. Matt’s brother, Bear Brown, shared on TikTok that their brother, Noah, recovered Matt’s body from a river, and he claimed there was a self-inflicted wound, suggesting he died by suicide. An official coroner’s report has yet to be completed.
Matt was estranged from his siblings for the past handful of years due to his struggles with addiction and, when he was on Alaskan Bush People, he often butted heads with brother Bam Bam. In a lengthy Instagram post, Bam Bam, speaking on behalf of his family, paid homage to his brother, speaking to his creativity and strengths viewers might not have seen on TV:
In Loving Memory of Matthew Brown. It is with broken hearts that we share the loss of our beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend, Matthew Brown. To millions of viewers, Matt was known as one of the original stars of Alaskan Bush People. To us, he was so much more. Matt was intelligent, curious, creative, and endlessly fascinated by the world around him. He was a gifted outdoorsman, fisherman, boatman, artist, and lifelong learner. He loved adventure, nature, and discovering new things. Matt had an extraordinary mind. He taught himself sign language, studied Egyptian hieroglyphs, petroglyphs, and Sanskrit, learned conversational Spanish, and could spend hours mastering a new skill simply for the joy of understanding it.
Some of Matt Brown’s skills were highlighted on episodes of Alaskan Bush People, which aired for 14 seasons between 2014 and 2022. For the most part, however, the Discovery series seemed to highlight Brown’s apparent standing as the “black sheep” of the family as well as his desire to set off on his own and forge a path not linked to his relatives.
Alaskan Bush People also touched on Matt’s struggles with addiction early on, and it ultimately led to him leaving the show in 2019. Matt remained estranged from the rest of the Brown family, and the family experienced a tragedy due to the death of patriarch Billy Brown’s death in 2021. Bam Bam also mentioned Matt’s struggles, as well as his father, as he continued his eulogy:
Those who truly knew Matt knew his heart. He was compassionate, generous with his time, and deeply wanted to help others. During periods of sobriety and recovery, he openly shared his struggles with addiction and mental health through his videos and personal outreach. He encouraged others to seek help, offered hope to people fighting similar battles, and reminded them they were not alone. We are incredibly proud of the lives he touched. Matt spent many years battling serious mental health challenges and addiction. Like countless families facing similar circumstances, we experienced periods of hope, recovery, setbacks, heartbreak, and reconciliation. Our dad, Billy Brown, never stopped believing in Matt’s ability to heal and find peace, and neither did we.
As someone who recently watched the first seasons of Alaskan Bush People, I agree that Billy Brown always believed in his children overcoming any adversity. It was part of why he thought they could live as a family out of the wilderness and why he put full faith in his children to execute the plans alongside him.
Bam Bam closed his address with an acknowledgement of Matt’s past controversies. In 2020, Matt faced accusations of rape from a former assistant and manager, but a district attorney declined to prosecute him. Bam Bam noted that the family didn’t wish to minimize those incidents while also paying homage to their brother:
Matt’s life was not without mistakes, struggles, and painful chapters. Some of those chapters caused hurt, and we do not minimize that. At the same time, we do not believe any person’s life should be defined solely by their lowest moments. When we think of Matt, we will remember the young man who loved the wilderness, could navigate rough waters, draw for hours, lose himself in learning, make us laugh unexpectedly, and dream bigger than most people ever dared. He was imperfect. He was human. He was deeply loved. And he will be missed beyond words.
Matt Brown’s death notably comes months after brother Bear Brown suggested there was a chance that Discovery could bring back Alaskan Bush People for another season. However, since the conclusion of the series, the family has spread out across the nation and are seemingly living their own lives.
This tragedy marks the latest in the reality TV space, coming after the passing of Storage Wars star Darrell Sheets. Sadly, another Discovery alum, Deadliest Catch’s Todd Meadows, died after falling overboard during a haul and drowning.
Bam Bam Brown’s eulogy eloquently details his brother’s life, serving as a nuanced take on a person he seemingly had a complex relationship with. It’s lovely to see Brown eulogize his brother, and his discussion of Matt’s abilities is a reminder for reality TV fans that the camera only tells part of the story.
CinemaBlend would like to offer its condolences to the Brown family and fans of Alaskan Bush People. Here’s hoping they’re able to heal following this troubling incident and honor Matt Brown as they can.