Little People Big World fans were unaware that Matt Roloff is a sibling of four. With the TLC series focused on his children and grandkids, we don’t see much of the father’s own childhood – but he had a brother who passed away.
Matt recently shared a throwback picture of him alongside his siblings on Instagram. As if this wasn’t enough of a shock for followers, he then announced in August that his father Ronald had passed away at the age of 84.
Sparking curiosity in fans, many are now delving into Matt’s heritage and family. As a result, they have picked up on the fact that he lost his late brother Josh in 1999. We looked into what happened to the Roloff child.
Who was Matt’s brother Josh?
Joshua Luke Roloff grew up alongside Matt, who he was two years younger, and their two siblings. He underwent several operations as a child due to being born with a heart problem.
Matt revealed in his book Tall Odds: Being A David In A Goliath World in 2017 that he had a complicated birth. In fact, the doctors weren’t even sure that Josh will survive more than a day but he lived until his 30s.
Several Little People Big World fans were unaware that Matt even had a brother – or any siblings – until he uploaded a social media photo of them together. Joshua was not a little person like his brother Matt.
What happened to Josh Roloff?
Josh passed away in 1999 at the age of 34 following heart and lung problems. He was born with a severe heart malformation. The Roloff family dedicated their book, Little Family, Big Values, to Josh and wrote,
A great son, brother, uncle and friend who was with us in this life for far too short a time. We all miss you and think of you every day, and we look forward to being reunited with you one day in the presence of our Lord.
The middle brother left behind three siblings and his parents, Ron and Peggy Roloff, who are often featured on Little People, Big World. They are of average height, as is his older sister.
LPBW: Matt’s other siblings
Matt has two other siblings, including brother Samuel George and sister Ruth Margret. They don’t appear on Little People Big World, but the Roloff father confirmed that Samuel is a little person like him, and is six years younger.
His younger brother Sam is a painter and founder of Back-Story Underpainting, often creating oil paintings. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, he now lives in Portland after living in Prague, Czech Republic, from 1994 to 1995.
Fans noticed that Matt and his siblings have biblical names, with one writing: “Didn’t realize you had so many siblings. Love all the biblical names.” Another reacted: “Wow, nice having siblings! We never heard of them on the show!?”
The Roloff father has since had four children of his own, bringing them up with three siblings just like he had growing up. He shares three sons, Jacob, 25, Zach, 31, and Jeremy, 31, and daughter Molly, 28, with his former partner Amy, 57.
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