Bill Brown suffered a seizure and passed away on February 7. He was well-loved by his family, who are asking for privacy during this difficult time.
The Alaskan Bush People family is mourning the loss of their patriarch Billy Brown, 68, who passed away on February 7. The family announced his death recently.
"We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved patriarch Billy Brown passed away last night after suffering from a seizure," Bear Brown, Billy's son, wrote on his private Instagram account along with a photo of his parents, Billy and Ami Brown, as per People. "He was our best friend — a wonderful and loving dad, granddad, and husband and he will be dearly missed."
"He lived his life on his terms, off the grid and off the land and taught us to live like that as well," continued Bear, 33. "We plan to honor his legacy going forward, and to continue with his dream. We ask for privacy and prayers during this painful time. God Bless Everyone!"
Billy has been part of the Discovery reality TV show since 2014 along with his family. The series wrapped up its 12th season on October 29, 2020, according to Deadline. "We are devastated to hear of Billy Brown's sudden passing," a spokesperson for Discovery said. "He has been part of the Discovery family for years — a trailblazer, a lovely man and most definitely one of a kind. Our heart is with his family and those that knew him and loved him as they deal with this devastating loss."
The reality show follows the lives of naturalist and adventurer Billy Brown, his wife, Ami, and their seven children. They choose to live in wild nature in the Copper River Valley. Billy was described as an "outdoorsman," which might be an understatement given how far away from civilization he lived. "He enjoyed living in the bush and spending time side by side with wildlife," said Discovery.com about the beloved nature-loving man.
He used to love building camp-fires to cook and spend time with his family. He was also a fishing enthusiast and was often looking for offbeat paths in the wilderness. He taught many of his kids to live off the land, which included building homes from scratch. His daughter, Rain, knew how to drive drill. He also found as many moments as he could to spend with his family.
This is not the first time the family has faced a setback in recent years. In 2017, Ami, 57, was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer after months of unexplained pain. "I had some pain in my back," she told People at the time. "Walking from the house to the garden, I would get winded. There were days I was just bedridden, but I just thought it was my arthritis. We were filming the show and at times it was all I could do to just stand there — I was in so much pain. When we were shooting promo shots I told them, 'There's something wrong.' In December [2016] I went to the dentist to get impressions made for new teeth and when they did a scan they noticed a little capsule. That's how this all started."
Now, the family is in mourning and taking their time to process their grief.
References:
https://people.com/tv/alaskan-bush-people-dad-billy-brown-dies-at-68/
https://deadline.com/2021/02/billy-brown-dead-discovery-channel-alaskan-bush-people-1234689955/
https://www.discovery.com/shows/alaskan-bush-people/articles/Celebrating_the_Life_of_Billy_Brown?
