Cause of death revealed for Ethan Browne, son of Jackson Browne
The cause of death has been revealed for Ethan Browne, the eldest son of legendary musician Jackson Browne.
Ethan, who was a singer-songwriter himself as well as a model, tragically died on November 25th, 2025. He was 52.
Now, per Rolling Stone, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed on January 12th that Ethan died due to “effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine and lidocaine.”
His death has been ruled as accidental.
Ethan’s death was confirmed by his father on social media in November. He released the following statement: “It is with deep sorrow that we share that on the morning of November 25, 2025, Ethan Browne, the son of Jackson Browne and Phyllis Major, was found unresponsive in his home and has passed away.”
The statement concluded, “We ask for privacy and respect for the family during this difficult time. No further details are available at this moment.”
In addition to appearing in a variety of films and TV shows, Ethan also followed in his father’s footsteps by entering the music business by founding Spinside Records. In 2022, he teamed up with Cat Colbert to form the duo Alain Zane, who released their debut album Right Before Your Eyes through Ethan’s label.
Tragically, Ethan’s mother, Phyllis Major, died in 1975, by suicide. In 2021, Jackson explained to Route Magazine how this loss made his son become his “main focus”, explaining, “I only had two things that I hoped I could fit together: being a songwriter and a father. And I looked at it like this, if I have to only be a father, I hope I’ll know it, and just do that.”
Following Ethan’s death, producer Mark Ronson remembered his late friend on Instagram, writing, “As beautiful as he was—a coterie of girls and boys would hang off the DJ booth at his gigs—Ethan lost his own mother when he was three years old and carried a burden of grief that, even in the best of times, always felt looming. His dad, the beloved songwriter Jackson Browne, dedicated much of his life to Ethan and his recovery. My heart breaks for him.”
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