Jackson Browne’s Son Ethan, Who Appeared in ‘Raising Helen,’ Dies at 52

Ethan Browne, who appeared in films including Kate Hudson’s “Raising Helen” and “Hackers,” was found dead in his home on Tuesday, his father, singer Jackson Browne announced on Instagram. Ethan Zane Browne was 52.

The Los Angeles Coroner’s Office lists the cause of death as “deferred.”

Jackson Browne wrote, “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. We ask for privacy and respect for the family during this difficult time. No further details are available at this moment.”

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Ethan Browne worked as a model for designers including Isaac Mizrahi and as a dj and musician. He also appeared in the TV show “Birds of Prey.”

As a baby, he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone with his father holding him and nuzzling his face.

In an interview with Route magazine, Jackson Browne discussed what it was like being a parent after his wife died.

“It was my main focus,” he said. “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. 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. The mistakes I’ve made as a parent are still with me. I think about them fairly often. It’s not that you’re not trying the whole time. It’s not that I wasn’t trying then. You’re just distracted by other things and some things don’t occur to you. Or maybe you ignore advice that you should have taken, because you’re overconfident.”

His mother was Jackson Browne’s first wife, Phyllis Major, an actress and model who died of an overdose just three years after Ethan was born. Major appeared in the film “The Candy Snatchers” and Jackson Browne’s songs “Ready or Not,” “Sleep’s Dark” and “Silent Gate” were said to be about her.