Alaskan Bush People's Matt Brown Found Dead in Oregon River

The reality TV world lost one of its earliest cast members this week. Matt Brown, the eldest son of the Brown family and a core figure on Discovery Channel’s Alaskan Bush People during its first five seasons, was found dead in the Okanogan River in Washington state on Saturday, May 30. He was 43.

The discovery came after a frantic search that began when authorities received a call on Wednesday, May 27, reporting a man sitting in the shallow waters of the river. According to the caller, the man was later spotted face-down in the water and being swept away by the current. Emergency responders initially searched the area but found nothing. By Friday, dangerous river conditions—swollen by recent rainfall—forced officials to suspend active search efforts, though the case remained active.

Matt’s younger brother, Bear Brown, 38, confirmed the identification via TikTok on Saturday.“They found a body in the river a few hours ago and it was positively identified as being Matt,”Bear announced, noting that their brother Noah was present during the recovery and helped pull the body from the water. While the coroner has not yet performed an autopsy, Bear indicated that the death is theorized to be“self-inflicted.”Bear stressed that despite Matt’s long struggle with substance abuse, he“never would have suspected that [Matt] would have hurt himself,”admitting he’d been more worried about a potential overdose.

Matt appeared on Alaskan Bush People from 2014 to 2019, when he quietly exited the series without public explanation. The show, which documented the entire Brown family living off the grid in Hoonah, Alaska, ran for 14 seasons before concluding in 2022—a year after their patriarch, Billy Brown, died at age 68 following a seizure. Since leaving television, Matt had maintained a YouTube channel and remained a presence on social media, though he battled addiction issues that led him to seek treatment in 2016 and again in 2018.

In his announcement, Bear made an impassioned plea for kindness and respect toward the family, particularly their mother. He referenced one of Matt’s final videos, where Matt had spoken about the toll of negative comments online.“Sometimes words can hurt more than fists can,”Bear said, urging followers to remember that the people behind screens are real people dealing with real pain. It’s a reminder that fame doesn’t insulate anyone from struggle—and that the pressures of public scrutiny can compound private anguish in ways that aren’t always visible from the outside.

If you or someone you know is struggling, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).