Sister Wives star Meri Brown is “deeply saddened” by the sudden death of Garrison Brown, the son of Janelle and Kody Brown, who died by apparent suicide.
“Our family is 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,” Meri, 53, wrote in a statement via Instagram on Tuesday, March 5. “This loss will leave such a big hole in our lives, and it takes our breath away. We ask that you please respect our privacy during this time and join us in honoring his memory.”
While her statement was nearly identical to the one posted by Janelle, 54, and Kody, 55, she added, “Garrison, you are loved and will be missed!”
Garrison (real name Robert Garrison Brown) was found dead at his Flagstaff, Arizona, home on Tuesday, March 5, Us Weekly confirmed. He was 25. The TLC alum was found by his brother Gabriel Brown and apparently suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No foul play is suspected and an investigation into the apparent suicide is underway.
Garrison was one of Janelle and Kody’s six children in addition to Logan, 29, Madison, 27, Hunter, 26, Gabriel, 22, and Savanah, 18. Their kids were raised in a polygamous family, along with Kody and Meri’s one child, his six children with Christine Brown and his two kids with Robyn Brown. Kody also legally adopted Robyn’s three children from a previous marriage. Meri and Kody were legally married from 1990 to 2014 and continued to be spiritually married for years after that until 2023. Meanwhile, Kody’s spiritual marriages with Christine and Janelle ended in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
The Browns have weathered many ups and downs over the years, but things became particularly strained between Kody and his sons Garrison and Gabriel in 2020 because of the patriarch’s strict COVID-19 rules.
Amid Kody’s struggles with his sons, Janelle said she was “worried” about the boys’ “mental health” during season 18 of Sister Wives, which was filmed in early 2022.
“Gabriel feels everything very, very deeply. But he’s also the kid who doesn’t say anything,” she said on camera. “And Garrison just seems angry or sadder, like, he’s not as happy-go-lucky as he used to be.”
Things became more tense after Kody demanded an apology from his sons.
“Me and Garrison are at odds with my dad, because when we expressed our discontent at how things were going with COVID, I was met with just a wall,” Gabriel said during season 18. “There was no line of dialogue. I think that that is what really drove the wedge between us.”
Janelle admitted her children’s strained relationship with their father led to the breaking point in their marriage.
“I had to choose between having my boys in my house or having Kody there,” Janelle shared. “So when Kody would come, the boys would have to be out of the house. I’d have to spray everything down with Lysol and stuff because he was very afraid of getting the virus from them. So it became really stressful. And then it slowly evolved as they started to get angrier and angrier with each other.”
In November 2023, Janelle confirmed to E! News that Kody was still “estranged” from his sons, but she hoped “over time” they would be able to forge a relationship.
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