Image Credit: Paramount+
Cole Brings Plenty, who portrayed Pete Plenty Clouds on the popular “Yellowstone” spinoff “1923,” was honored as “Pete” during an in memoriam at the beginning of Episode 1 credits.
The actor passed away at 27 in 2024, just three months before filming for the show’s second season resumed.
Discover more about what happened to the late actor and who has taken over his role on the show.
What Happened to Cole Brings Plenty?
Brings Plenty first went missing following an alleged domestic violence incident, as reported by the New York Post on April 2 of last year. He was later found dead near an unoccupied vehicle in a wooded area in Kansas on April 5, 2024. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed via Facebook that there was “no indication of foul play.”
“This is a tragic case for everyone involved,” Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart said in a statement. “Your Police Department worked very hard to investigate the incidents and worked very hard to find Cole.”
“None of us could have imagined this outcome,” Lockhart continued. “I learned through this series of events that our Police Department must work harder to increase trust with our Native American community members.”
The cause of death was not announced and remains undisclosed.
Brings Plenty’s father, Joe Brings Plenty Sr., stated in November 2024, while speaking at the Red Nation Film Festival in Los Angeles, that he was still “fighting to find out” what happened to his son.
“My boy, we have some work to do,” Brings Plenty Sr. said at the event. “We want a full investigation done, a fair investigation, to find out what happened with Cole.”
Brings Plenty’s sister, Kyla Mercy Red Bear, was reportedly found dead in the woods in August 2023, nine months prior to the actor’s death. She was 25.
Who Plays Pete Plenty Clouds Now in ‘1923’?
In “1923” Season 2, Pete Plenty Clouds is portrayed by Jeremy Gauna, a 36-year-old Native American and Mexican actor. He represents the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and stars as Tall Shadow in the Netflix series “American Primeval.”
Gauna spoke with the Los Angeles Times upon the release of Season 2 about the responsibility of portraying Indigenous people accurately on screen.
“Without these stories being told, history could repeat itself,” Gauna said, adding, “And we definitely do not need to regress. We need to progress. We need to grow. We need to be better all the way around, throughout humanity and just in general. All I can say is that everyone has their story. Until we all get the opportunity to hear everybody’s story, it’s going to be difficult for everybody to understand others’ lessons if they don’t take the time to learn it.”
Gauna also shared that he and Brings Plenty were “close friends,” a connection that began through social media.
“We would talk on a daily basis,” Gauna pointed out. “I would hear his struggles in life and hear the joy about what was to come with 1923. He was so pumped for this role. He couldn’t believe he was going to be in every episode.”
The actor, who received approval from Brings Plenty’s family for the role, said, “It is a lot of weight on my shoulders, but I gladly wear it. It’s a blessing.”
