Garrison Brown's 'Sister Wives' family gathers for funeral

Garrison and Janelle Brown sit and laugh on opposite sides of a table as Janelle cuts food

By Nardine SaadStaff Writer

March 12, 2024 12:13 PM PT

Garrison Brown’s family gathered in Flagstaff, Ariz., over the weekend for the “Sister Wives” star’s funeral.

The son of reality TV stars Janelle Brown and Kody Brown died last week in an apparent suicide at his Arizona home. He was reportedly 25 years old.

In the time since, family members shared tributes to the late reality star, as well as details about his funeral.

“dear robert, i had to dress up for your funeral today and this is everything i wish you could’ve heard before i had to say goodbye,” his cousin Emma Brown wrote in an Instagram tribute. “we love you. i don’t even own a picture of you without your contagious smile. i don’t know if i have the right words to say i’ll miss you. i wish i was able to give you a hug and tell you how much you were loved. you were human, you had flaws but never once did i doubt the friendship we had. i’ll always cherish the times i got to spend with you.”

Emma Brown added that they planned to go on backpacking trips together but only made it to one.

“i’ll miss your goofy dad jokes, our coffee runs, the dinners we shared. the times we watched movies and you always let me put messy face masks all over our faces. you always made sure that i had ate, and made sure i knew i could always talk to you. you were a son, a brother, a soldier, and a friend. if there is a god i hope he’s giving you peace. i love you robert.

Mykelti Padron, the daughter of Kody and his ex-wife Christine Brown, also shared details with her Patreon followers, confirming that she had been in Flagstaff with her husband and family last week for the funeral. Looking at the “glass half full,” Padron said that she was glad to see her family together in one place for the first time in years.

“I think that ultimately, obviously, Garrison would have been happy by that,” she said, adding that the family has more plans to honor her brother over the next few months and that they were also planning a Brown family reunion in Wyoming soon.

“My heart breaks for my brother who’s no longer with us but it rejoices knowing he’s with his fellow warriors in Valhalla drinking and fighting with Odin,” she wrote in another post on Instagram. “I hope he is loving his place amongst the stars. Garrison was always the funniest person in the room. He was one cool dude and I cry so much because my kids will never be able to experience his fun presence. But he will live on in all my families memories. Have fun up with the stars little bro, you’re missed.”

Sharing a large family photo that included Garrison, Christine Brown wrote: “Every photo with Garrison in it is now infinitely more important than ever before. I am scrambling for just another glimpse of such an incredible man, brother, son…#alwaysbemissed #missyou #notenough”

Garrison’s father Kody had 18 children with his four wives — Christine, Janelle, Meri and Robyn — whose lives were chronicled in their 18-season TLC reality series. The polygamist family lived in Lehi, Utah, Las Vegas and Flagstaff, Ariz., during the series, and Garrison was introduced in 2010 during the debut season.

Christine left Kody in 2021 and Janelle left him in 2022. Meri “permanently” terminated her marriage to Kody in early 2023. Since polygamist marriages are not legally recognized in the United States, the “spiritual unions” usually end with an announcement rather than a divorce or legal filing.

In the last season, which wrapped at the end of 2023, Garrison moved out of the family home after Kody accused him of not following rules that he set during the COVID-19 pandemic and of disrespecting his remaining wife, Robyn. In addition to Garrison, Kody and Janelle have five other children: Logan, 29; Madison, 28; Hunter, 27; Gabriel, 22; and Savannah, 19. The mother of six shared a photo of her family Friday on Instagram that was taken over the winter holidays.

“I had all my children together last Christmas. It was amazing as it’s hard with everyone’s busy lives to coordinate time like this,” the TLC star captioned the post. “I am extremely grateful now that we had pictures taken.”

The post was Janelle’s first since she announced the death of her son on March 5 in a joint statement with Kody Brown. The former couple described their son as “a bright spot in the lives of all who knew him” and said the loss “will leave such a big hole in our lives, and it takes our breath away.” In a police report taken after Garrison was discovered dead by his brother Gabriel, Janelle told authorities that Garrison and her ex-husband had remained estranged.

She also said that her son sent an alarming text message to friends that prompted her to ask her children to check on him, ultimately leading to the discovery of his body with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

On Tuesday, Janelle shared a joint post with the High Country Humane, the animal shelter from which Garrison adopted several cats.

“I have been brought to tears again. I’m being told about everyone’s donations to @highcountryhumane @arkcatsanctuary in Garrison’s name,” she wrote. “Thank you all for your generosity. It means so much. The cats he adopted from both agencies were so important to him. He loved being a cat dad.”

Garrison’s sister Maddie Brush, who lives in North Carolina, also posted a tribute to Garrison online within days of his death.

“My words seem to fall short. Our hearts our broken and we are now swallowed with the love now left behind for this beautiful brother,” Brush wrote on Instagram last week. “God be with you till we meet again. I’ll see you at the gates of Valhalla, feasting with our ancestors who battled before you. Until then, we must live in a more gray world without the light you brought.

On Tuesday, she posted Instagram stories featuring her mom, Janelle, holding her grandkids’ hands at the beach and captioned the outing with “some water and sun therapy.”

On her own Instagram stories, Janelle added: “Spring break for kiddos so we headed to the beach for the day. The weather was beautiful. The water was still chilly but it didn’t stop Evie and Axel.”

In a post marking her late mother’s birthday on Saturday, Meri wrote that she feels “a little more comfort this week knowing that she was likely on Garrison’s welcoming committee, smiling that perfect smile at him and holding his sweet face in her loving hands.”

“Keep an eye on our boy up there, Mom! And give him a hug for me! 💙💙💙” she wrote on Instagram.