Bear Brown's Throwback Photo Of His Parents Has Fans Emotional
It's hard to believe that more than a year has passed since the death of Billy Brown from Discovery's "Alaskan Bush People." Per Us Weekly, the patriarch of the Brown family died from a seizure on February 7, 2021. His son Bear announced the news on Instagram and called him their "best friend — a wonderful and loving dad, granddad and husband" who will be "dearly missed."
Following Billy's death, Discovery paid tribute to him in a special episode, which aired later that October. Bear told Entertainment Weekly that it was hard for him to grieve his father's death publicly. "Everyone I passed on the road or saw me in a store would give me condolences and say how sorry they were," he said. "That's one thing that I try to keep in mind, that the whole world — everyone who watched a show, anyway — loved and definitely misses Da." Bear went on to say that his mother, Ami, has "been the strongest" since Billy died, helping to uphold the family.
Now, in another tribute, Bear has shown how strong his parents' love really is through a throwback photo on Instagram — and it has made fans emotional.
Bear Brown's parents had a heartwarming moment together
Though Billy Brown's death may have created a massive void in the Brown family, his son Bear Brown is keeping his memory alive online. Bear posted a throwback photo of his father surprising his mother, Ami, for her birthday in August 2020. The couple are seen sweetly gazing at each other. "In my parents trailer on our mountain! Da had just pulled off an awesome surprise for mom's birthday!" Bear captioned the Instagram post, which made fans emotional and long for his parents' love.
"Beautiful couple. You could always see the great love that they had for one another," one user commented underneath Bear's post, while another wrote that Ami and Billy "were such a true testimony of a loving couple." Another fan included heart-eyes in their comment, writing, "The way they look at each other," while another user wrote that their love for each other was the "best part" of "Alaskan Bush People."
The happy moment is bittersweet for fans who saw Ami struggle after Billy's death. In a heartbreaking confession on "Alaskan Bush People," months after her husband died, Ami broke down in tears as she revealed Billy's last words to her. "He said 'I love you,'" Ami said in a confession (via The Sun). Despite her grieving, Ami and her family have kept Billy's dreams alive by rebuilding the North Star Ranch and taking care of the farm, per Reality Titbit.