How Alaskan Bush People Will Be Different After Billy's Death

Since 2014, Billy Brown, his wife, Ami, and their seven children had been attempting to build a thriving homestead in an incredibly remote part of the Alaskan wilderness. Over the course of 12 seasons of "Alaskan Bush People," the Brown family faced startling setbacks, triumphs, and heartwarming moments in a part of Alaska that regularly dips to 60 degrees below zero, per The Futon Critic.

In February, Billy, the patriarch of the family featured on Discovery Channel's "Alaskan Bush People," died at the age of 68 years old after suffering a sudden seizure. "We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved patriarch Billy Brown passed away last night after suffering from a seizure," Billy's son, Bear, wrote on Instagram, according to Deadline. "He was our best friend — a wonderful and loving dad, granddad, and husband and he will be dearly missed. He lived his life on his terms, off the grid and off the land and taught us to live like that as well. We plan to honor his legacy going forward, and to continue with his dream."

After Billy died, many viewers wondered if his death would be the beginning of the end of "Alaskan Bush People."

Good news for "Alaskan Bush People" fans: A new season of the show will be debuting on September 19. Based upon the early details released about Season 13, much of it will be dedicated to honoring the memory of Billy Brown. According to a press release from Discovery, the 13th season of the show will begin with the family dealing with the aftermath of the wildfire that destroyed their North Star Ranch. Prior to his death, Billy and the rest of the family contemplated returning to Alaska after assessing the full scope of the damage on their Washington state homestead.

Before the family can fully recover from the fire, Billy dies, leaving the family to wonder how they will move forward with their dreams of thriving in the wild without the patriarch of the family at the helm of these adventures. "Looking back, Dad knew his time in this world was coming to an end, and we can see now he was laying out a plan for us, preparing us to achieve the vision," Snowbird said in a preview, according to People. "If only we understood his plan sooner. Life now is unlike anything we've faced before. We'll never give up our fight for total freedom, but can we do it without Dad?"