The reality television world was stunned earlier this week by the news that Garrison Brown, son of polygamous Sister Wives stars Kody Brown and Janelle Brown, died of a reported suicide, and now those who knew him best – including a well-known member of his unconventional family – are paying tribute, as US Weekly reports.
It was on Tuesday that Garrison Brown, 25, took his own life in his Flagstaff, Arizona, home, as the Hollywood Reporter noted, and as more details of his final days emerge, friends and family are stepping forward to remember the young man whose notoriety came by way of the aforementioned TLC series.
As the Flagstaff Police Department revealed earlier this week, Garrison Brown died “as a result of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound” and stated that there was no “indication of foul play.”
The New York Post has since reported that, according to a police report obtained by TMZ, a series of concerning text messages from Garrison to other members of a chat group caught the attention of his mother, Janelle Brown.
That is when Janelle contacted Garrison herself, but when he ceased responding to her messages, she asked her other children if they could go to his home to check on his well-being.
Garrison's brother Gabe was the first of the siblings to arrive on the scene, and it was then that he made the sad discovery.
According to the Post, Garrison shared his home with three roommates, and though some reported having heard a popping noise in the night, they had not checked on him because nobody suspected that it had been a gunshot.
Though the roommates suggested to police that Garrison had struggled with alcohol abuse, Gabe was under the impression that his brother's life was on the upswing.
According to Gabe, Garrison recently obtained new employment at a local medical facility and seemed to be doing well, despite his reported estrangement from his father Kody Brown.
As news broke of Garrison's death, his parents, Kody and Janelle, issued a joint statement on Instagram, saying that they were “deeply saddened to announce the loss of our beautiful boy Robert Garrison Brown. He was a bright spot in the lives of all who knew him. His loss will leave such a big hole in our lives that it takes our breath away.”
TLC, the network responsible for the program that brought fame to Garrison and the unorthodox familial situation in which he was raised, released a statement of its own.
“We are devastated to hear of the tragic loss of Garrison Brown. We extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the Brown family at this difficult time," executives declared.
Christine Brown, one of the “sister wives” of Kody Brown, though not Garrison's mother, offered insights into her own feelings on the young man's death, recalling that he had graciously helped her daughter pursue a love of gardening when he realized she would benefit from having a hobby.
“We'll miss him forever,” she wrote, adding a series of hashtags that included #tellthoseyoulovethatyoulovethem, which is an admonition everyone would do well to heed.
