Noah Brown has detailed the events leading up to the day his brother Matt Brown died.
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“I actually saw him the day before [Matt went missing], just in one of those, like, driving by, wave-type situations,” Noah exclusively told Us Weekly on Sunday, May 31. “I wish I had more time when I drove past. It was stopped, but … it is what it is.”
Matt, who starred in the reality TV series Alaskan Bush People alongside Noah and the wider Brown family, was found dead at the age of 43. Local authorities confirmed his body had been recovered from the Okanogan River in Washington state on Saturday, May 30.
Noah also detailed his final conversation with Matt to Us, revealing that it took place “probably two or three weeks” prior to Matt’s death.
“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 said. “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.”
Noah also touched on his relationship with Matt during his interview with Us, sharing that the pair “were good” despite keeping “a distance” amid their large family dynamic.
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“In the later years, I realized it was best to just kind of let him do his own thing,” Noah said.
Noah detailed the group’s efforts during his conversation with Us. “Myself and the rest of the people that were looking hauled [a] skiff up further on the shore, and that’s where it was … when the coroner came,” Noah said. “Right now, all I can say is that he was lost in the river. He was lost in the river and we found him.”
The Brown family shared a statement addressing Matt’s death with Us on Sunday. “It is with profound sadness and broken hearts that we share the loss of our beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend, Matthew Brown,” the statement read. “To millions of viewers, Matt was known as one of the original stars of Alaskan Bush People. To us, he was so much more.”
The statement continued, “Matt was intelligent, curious, creative, and endlessly fascinated by the world around him. He was a gifted outdoorsman who felt most at home on the water, in the wilderness, or sharing what he had learned with others. He was an accomplished fisherman, an experienced boatman, and served as the radar operator on our family’s vessels. He loved adventure and never stopped exploring new ideas.”
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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 8:00 AM.