The cause of death of Ethan Browne, the model-actor-musician son of Jackson Browne, has been revealed. The 52-year-old was found unresponsive at his home on November 25th and died due to the combined effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and lidocaine, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The death was ruled an accident.
The elder Browne shared the news of his son's death on his Facebook account the day after he was found dead. "With deep sorrow, we share that on the morning of November 25th, 2025, Ethan Browne, the son of Jackson Browne and Phyllis Major, was found unresponsive in his home and has passed away," the post read. "We ask for privacy and respect for the family during this difficult time. No further details are available at this moment."
Ethan Browne's mother, the model Phyllis Major, died by suicide when he was only two years old. Ethan had a successful modeling career, appearing for designers like Isaac Mizrahi and in films such as Hackers (1995), Raising Helen (2004), and the TV series Birds of Prey. He also pursued a musical career, performing as part of the duo Alain Zane with Cat Colbert.
Ethan Browne even appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine with his father when he was just six months old. In 2021, Jackson Browne reflected on the challenges of being a single father while pursuing a music career. "I only had two things that I hoped I could fit together: being a songwriter and a father," he told Route magazine. "I looked at it like this, if I have to only be a father, I hope I'll know it, and just do that. But life's not like that and you don't get a notice in the mail saying you're blowing it as a parent."
"You think you have the advice and the help you need, and sometimes you don't, or you don't heed it," he continued. "The mistakes I've made as a parent are still with me. I think about them fairly often."
