‘Sister Wives’ Star Janelle Brown Pays Tribute to Late Son Garrison on Anniversary of His Death

One year after the loss of her son, reality television personality Janelle Brown shared a moving message honoring his memory and encouraging supportive action in his name.

March 5 marked exactly twelve months since Garrison Brown, son of Sister Wives stars Janelle and Kody Brown, died by suicide at age 25. The TLC celebrity took to Instagram to express her ongoing grief, writing: “I stay busy but in EVERY quiet moment you are first and foremost in my thoughts. It’s been a year baby. We miss you so much. I miss you so much.”

In her tribute, Janelle requested that followers consider making contributions to animal welfare organizations in Garrison’s honor. “I encourage everyone reading this to consider making a donation to your local animal shelter, rescue, or humane society. This cause was close to Garrison’s heart—he adopted all three of his cats from shelters,” she wrote. The reality star also thoughtfully included contact information for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at the conclusion of her post.

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The Brown family first shared the heartbreaking news of Garrison’s passing in March 2024, when Janelle and her former husband, Kody, released a joint statement announcing his death. Local authorities confirmed to People that they had “responded to a report of a death inside a home” and discovered him “deceased” upon arrival, with no “indication of foul play.”

Several months following the tragedy, Janelle revealed to People that the family “had no idea” about the extent of Garrison’s struggles, noting he “didn’t ever express any kind of extreme sad feelings.” She acknowledged that “substance abuse definitely played a role” in his death while reflecting on their family’s support. “I don’t know what we could have done different[ly],” she said. “We were always talking to him, we were loving him. All the things were there.”

The grieving mother gave an account of her son’s life before his passing, describing him as “very funny, very upbeat” with “a career path that he was excited about.” She emphasized their ongoing communication and his access to resources, making his death “such a shock” that they “just never expected.”

Other family members also commemorated the somber anniversary. Christine Brown, another of Kody’s former wives, shared a carousel of photos on Instagram alongside her own reflection. “I found a video of Garrison helping me move and watched it so many times,” she wrote. “My heart aches without him and every photo, video, memory, joke, story with him in it is infinitely more precious than ever. God, I miss him. I can’t believe he’s been dead for a year.”

Garrison’s sister Maddie Brown shared three meaningful images on her Instagram account—one of them together as adults, another from their childhood, and a third showing Garrison with her children. Her caption noted the painful milestone: “a whole 365 days without” her brother. “Not a day goes by that I don’t miss you, Garrison,” she expressed. “In the quiet moments between the noise of life, I think of you often. I hope and pray that you’ve found peace, rest and the comfort that eluded you here. Until we meet again, little brother.”

Paedon Brown, son of Kody and Christine, echoed this sentiment by commenting, “Until we meet again,” on Maddie’s post while sharing family tributes to his Instagram Story. Leon Brown, Kody, and Meri Brown’s only child reposted photos originally shared after Garrison’s death with the updated message: “I miss you more each passing day. It doesn’t get easier, it just gets longer.”