'Alaskan Bush People' Season 13: Brown Family Lays Patriarch Billy to Rest in Emotional First Look

The Brown family is dedicating the next season ofAlaskan Bush Peopleto late patriarchBilly Brown, PEOPLE can exclusively announce.

Billydiedon Feb. 7 after suffering a seizure. He was 68. In a first look at the upcoming season 13 of the family’s Discovery series, Billy’s wifeAmi Brown, daughtersRainand Snowbird and sonsBear, Matt, Bam Bam, Gabe and Noah reflect on his legacy.

“Dad always told us one day we’d have to carry on without him,” begins Bam Bam, 36. “But we weren’t ready for him to go.”

The clip then cuts to Gabriel, 31, calling 911. “This is Gabriel Brown — just send an ambulance,” he says.

“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,” adds Snowbird, 26. “If only we understood his plan sooner.”

“Life now is unlike anything we’ve faced before,” she continues. “We’ll never give up our fight for total freedom, but can we do it without Dad?”

Discovery

“It’s a defining year for the Browns as Billy’s final vision to realize the family dream becomes their biggest adventure yet,” a narrator says as the trailer pivots to the months leading up to Billy’s death.

Snowbird, meanwhile, begins thinking about returning to Alaska. “I find myself hearing the call of Alaska,” she says, later adding, “It’s hard answering, do I want to move back?”

Billy Brown.Discovery

Everything else is thrown to the wayside, though, when Billy dies and the family must lay him to rest.

“He really was my best friend,” Rain says. “He was there for me like nobody else ever was.”

“We all have to find our peace with what’s happened somehow,” adds Ami, 58.

“There’s still a part of me that feels really lost,” Snowbird says through tears to her mom, who advises, “You have to go where the road calls you.”

Season 13 ofAlaskan Bush Peoplepremieres Sep. 19 on Discovery and discovery+.

source: people.com