Discovery Channel star Bear Brown is mourning the loss of his brother Matt Brown after the “Alaskan Bush People” alum was found dead in the Okanogan River on Saturday following a search. He had been reported missing on Wednesday.
“It is with broken hearts that we share the loss of our beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend, Matthew Brown,” the family shared in a Monday statement. “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. Those who truly knew Matt knew his heart. He was compassionate, generous with his time and deeply wanted to help others,” they continued. “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.”
Brown’s body was positively identified at the scene and has been sent to the Okanogan County Coroner to conduct his cause and manner of death, according to the Okanogan County Sheriff. The reality star appeared on “Alaskan Bush People” from its premiere in 2014 until his exit in 2019, while the show went on until 2022.
“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,” the family’s message further noted. “Our Dad, Billy Brown, never stopped believing in Matt’s ability to heal and find peace, and neither did we. 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,” they concluded. He was imperfect. He was human. He was deeply loved. And he will be missed beyond words.”
