Did Otto Kilcher pass away? Viral death claim surrounding Alaska: Last Frontier star debunked

Several posts on reality TV personality Otto Kilcher's supposed death emerged online around October 23. Otto appeared on the Discovery show, Alaska: The Last Frontier, which ran for 11 seasons from December 2011 to November 2022.

On Thursday, the Facebook page Parker Schnabel Fans shared an image of Otto captured in an edited gold frame with flowers and candles at the bottom. The text engraved on the image read, "REST IN PEACE".

According to the post's caption, Otto allegedly "passed away at 2:30 AM on October 22, 2025". The post has garnered over 7.9K likes so far.

Another page, Rain Brown - Alaskan Bush People, reshared the viral image from Parker Schnabel Fans' post.

A link shared in the comments led to an article on an anonymous website, reiterating the claim that Otto has died. The article contained a YouTube video titled 'The Tragic death of Otto Kilcher from Alaska The Last Frontier - ABP' by the channel Alaskan Bush People.

The video showed a gathering at a burial ground with a casket inside a freshly dug grave. Then stills from Otto Kilcher's life began playing with a voiceover sharing a brief introduction of the man and his family. However, despite the title declaring Otto's death, the narration addressed him in the present tense throughout the clip.

Moreover, the video was posted on March 21, 2024, thus conflicting with the recent Facebook claim that Otto died on October 22, 2025.

Hence, the inconsistencies in these dates, as well as the lack of a credible report, lead to the inference that the viral claim about Otto Kilcher's death is false. The Kilcher family also made no such announcement. Otto, 73, is alive.

Celebrity death hoaxes like this are quite common these days, with a surge in the number of fake posts claiming someone has died. Regardless, readers and netizens soon catch up when they don't see an official confirmation from a trusted source or reputed media outlets.

Who is Otto Kilcher?

Otto Kilcher is one of the two heads of the Kilcher family residing in a homestead in the Alaskan wilderness, outside Homer. He is one of eight children of Yule and Ruth Kilcher. Otto and his elder brother, Atz Kilcher, and their family's day-to-day life were documented on Alaska: The Last Frontier.

Born in 1952, Otto grew up in a lifestyle where sustenance was based on natural resources.

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Otto learned to make use of things and craft useful tools out of anything and everything from a young age. To this day, he continues to live surrounded by his cattle and other farm necessities with little help from modern amenities.

Otto has been married to Charlotte, who once aspired to be a wildlife biologist, for more than two decades. The two met in 1978 when Charlotte, originally from Northern California, visited Alaska as an environmental enthusiast. Otto and Charlotte have a son, August. Otto is also a stepfather to Charlotte's son, Torey, from a previous relationship.

Before Charlotte, Otto Kilcher was married to Sharon Mckemie, with whom he shared two sons, Levi and Elvin. Otto's first marriage was to Olga Von Ziegesar.