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Alaskan Bush People Star Matt Brown Dead at 43 After Police Search
Noah Brown didn’t leave anything unsaid in his final conversation with brother Matt Brown.
Days after Matt was found dead in the Okanogan River in Washington May 30, his brother reflected on their final moments together.
“I actually saw him the day before [Matt went missing], just in one of those, like, driving by, wave-type situations,” Noah—who starred alongside Matt and their six siblings in the Discovery Channel series Alaskan Bush People from 2014 to 2022—told US Weekly in an interview published June 1. “I wish I had more time when I drove past. It was stopped, but…it is what it is.”
But while their very last interaction was completely wordless, Noah emphasized he was happy his last real conversation with Matt was honest and true.
“I ran into him in the grocery store [and] the last thing I said to him was, ‘Okay, love you more, man,’ which was our thing,” Noah reflected. “You never know when the last time you’re going to see someone is, so [our family] always [says] how you feel right before you say goodbye, because it could be the last thing. Then that was it.”
Although Noah shared that the duo “were good” leading up to Matt’s death, the 33-year-old said there was still “a distance” between him and his brother at the time of his disappearance.
“In the later years, I realized it was best to just kind of let him do his own thing,” Noah continued. “The stress of a large family gets to some people, and it’s just one of those things. Just let’s let him live his life.”
Nevertheless, Noah—whose brother Bear Brown previously expressed belief that Matt, 43, had died by suicide—admitted his regrets in not spending more time with his brother.
Instagram/Matt Brown
“I do wish, though, that there could have been more, but in the end, that’s kind of always how it is,” he said. “You always wish that you could have done more, no matter how much it was that you were doing.”
Bear confirmed Matt’s death in a statement May 30, saying that Noah had assisted in pulling his body out of the river where it was found. At the time, Bear noted an official cause of death was still pending, but expressed belief his brother, who had gone missing on May 27, had died by suicide.
“He struggled for a long time, as I’ve mentioned,” the 38-year-old said in a May 30 TikTok. “I was so worried he was gonna end up OD’d or something like that. I didn’t think that he would hurt himself. It does look as though the injury is self-inflicted.”
Despite the difficulty in sharing the news of Matt’s disappearance and death, Bear concluded, “I wanted you guys to hear it from the family first.”
If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
English (US) ·