ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE star Billy Brown’s children shared emotional tributes to their father after he died aged 68.
The Discovery Channel patriarch passed away at the weekend after suffering a seizure.
Billy is survived by seven children with his wife Ami – sons Matt, 36, Bam Bam, 34, Bear, 31, Gabe, 29, and Noah, 26, and daughters Bird, 24, and Rain, 16.
Rain called Billy her “hero” in a heartfelt tribute that she shared alongside a photo of herself smiling at him and Ami.
“I lost a true friend. Not forever, but only in this world. Please hold my family in your thoughts and prayers, especially my mother,” the teen wrote.
“Please hold your family tight for me. Words cannot express how wonderful he was and is. But I will say, the closest thing to an angel I’ve ever known.”
Rain concluded: “God bless you dad I love and miss you dearly. You will always be my hero. God bless everyone.”
Billy’s son, Noah, posted a sweet photo of his father holding his grandson – Noah’s son – Elijah.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved patriarch Billy Brown passed away last night after suffering from a seizure,” he wrote.
“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.”
He added: “We plan to honor his legacy going forward, and to continue with his dream. We ask for privacy and prayers during this painful time.”
His brother, Bear, shared the same message on his own Instagram account alongside a different photo of Billy.
Billy had been in and out of hospital in recent years and was previously told by medical professionals that the high altitude wasn’t good for him.
He decided to defy doctor’s orders and continue to live in the mountains with his family.
After returning home from one particular hospital visit, Billy told his large family that he’d been having heart problems.
Because he had been having a hard time breathing, he had always assumed it was his lungs – but the diagnosis from his last emergency scare pinpointed the problem being a serious problem with his heart.
Billy was the patriarch of the Alaskan Bush People family.
In heartbreaking scenes on the reality show, Billy’s wife Ami told their adult kids that their father wasn’t going to get better.
The Browns left Alaska due to Ami’s sudden cancer diagnosis and relocated closer to California so she could be treated at UCLA Medical Center.
The reality star family purchased a 435-acre property in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington State.
Her cancer is now in remission despite being given just a three percent chance of survival.
The family lost their home in a massive wildfire that swept through the mountains last year.
