Billy Brown, the patriarch of the realistic Alaskan Bush People documentary series, which follows an isolated Alaskan family, died on Sunday night after suffering a seizure. He was 68 years old.
“We are devastated to learn of Billy Brown’s sudden death,” a Discovery spokesman said in a statement to Variety. “He’s been part of the Discovery family for years – a pioneer, a lovely man and definitely unique. Our heart is with your family and those who knew and loved you as you deal with this devastating loss. “
“Alaskan Bush People,” which began airing in 2014, follows the patriarch and the rest of the Brown family, including his wife, Ami, and his seven adult children who are “unlike any other family in America,” according to the Discovery Channel. Away from civilization and often spending months without seeing others, they refer to themselves as a “wolf pack”. The Browns have lived in the Copper River Valley, where temperatures can drop to 60 degrees below zero for 30 years. His previous home of many years was seized and razed to the ground for being in the wrong place on public land.
In 2017, the Brown family was also shaken by Ami’s advanced lung cancer diagnosis, which was revealed after she felt unexplained pain for months. After her diagnosis, the family moved permanently from their rural Alaska home to Washington, buying a 435-acre property in the North Cascade Mountains, so that Ami could receive medical treatment. She announced that she was in remission in late 2018.