‘Alaskan Bush People’ Star Debuts Art Talents While Mourning Loss of Father Billy Brown

Alaskan Bush People star Gabe Brown returned to Instagram late last month and he is here to stay. The 29-year-old Discovery Channel star has shared several posts since his return, including one post showcasing his artistic skills. Gabe’s return to Instagram came while the Brown family is still mourning the death of patriarch Billy Brown, who passed away in February at age 68.

Back on April 26, Gabe shared a sketch of a man’s profile, complete with a high black collar and his signature in red. “Art thou me? Not my usual medium, and it’s just a quick sketch, so please don’t judge too harshly. I hope everyone is doing okay today,” Gabe wrote. Gabe might have been harsh on his own skills, but his fans loved seeing the artwork. “Art is in the eye of the beholder, that’s what makes it so beautiful. God Bless,” one fan wrote. “Aw I like it, good job Gabe,” another chimed in. “It’s fantastic,” another simply wrote. Gabe’s older brother Bear Brown was among the thousands of Instagram users who liked the post.

Gabe returned to Instagram on April 23, almost a full year after his previous Instagram post. He showed off a full-grown beard and longer hair than what fans are used to seeing. He included an emotional statement about how different his life has been without his father. “Times are changed as times must, and do, and the room seems empty without you,” he wrote in part. “I carry on from day to day, remembering those things you’d say, tears of pain run down my face they try to take your special place, I wake up dreaming we have to be apart, yet those we [lose] from our sight are never gone from our hearts.”

Since then, Gabe has shared a few other selfies and inspirational statements. On April 28, he wrote about how he was “lost, but not alone” because of his faith and family. “It’s important to talk to the people you love, and trust to help point you in the right direction. If you’re having trouble even finding that person, or people look to Jesus, he’s with you,” Gabe wrote. He later said that Jesus is “always right there to give a helping hand, or point the way home,” and that God “wants us all to make it.” In the end, Gabe offered to his followers, “If you’re lost know you’re not alone. Follow the light inside that will take you home.”

Gabe’s father Billy died on Feb. 7 after suffering a seizure at the Brown family home in Washington. Gabe was among the first members of the family to speak with police investigators when they arrived, according to police documents obtained by The Sun. Bear announced Billy’s death before the Discovery Channel issued a statement. Billy was a “trailblazer, a lovely man, and most definitely one of a kind,” Discovery said in a statement. “Our heart is with his family and those that knew him as they deal with this devastating loss.”