Brian Wilson in Santa Monica, Calif., in 1990, photographed by Ithaka Darin Pappas. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0)
Brian Wilson, the cofounder, singer-songwriter, and creative genius behind the legendary pop and rock band The Beach Boys, has died at 82 years old. His family announced his death on June 11 with a statement shared on Instagram.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” they write. “We are at a loss for words right now.”
That same day, Wilson’s bandmates from the Beach Boys also paid tribute to the “soul of our sound,” writing: “The world mourns a genius today. The melodies he dreamed up and the emotions he poured into every note changed the course of music forever. Together, we gave the world the American dream of optimism, joy, and a sense of freedom—music that made people feel good, made them believe in summer and endless possibilities.”
Born in Inglewood, Calif., in 1942, Wilson had always been precocious when it came to music. When he was a baby, he could deftly imitate melodies sung to him and, by ages 7 and 8, he began singing solos at church, prompting his choir director to declare that he had perfect pitch. Later, in 1961, Wilson, his younger brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardin formed what would eventually become one of the world’s most enduring and illustrious bands: The Beach Boys.
As the de facto leader of The Beach Boys, Wilson wrote and produced dozens of the band’s chart-topping songs, including Good Vibrations; I Get Around; Help Me, Rhonda; California Girls; and their first major hit, Surfin’ U.S.A., which was originally released in 1963. From there, The Beach Boys quickly gained recognition for their carefree and breezy lyrics, psychedelic sound, and layered vocals, each of which embodied the optimism, youth, grandeur, and, at times, melancholy of mid-century California. Much of this success can be traced back to Wilson, whose distinct vision and talent for studio production, musical arrangement, and vocal harmonization further propelled The Beach Boys into pop stardom.
In 1964, under the stress of touring and increased substance abuse, Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown while on the road in Europe. His decision to stay in the United States as his bandmates toured the world would turn out to be a pivotal one. By the time they all returned to California, Wilson had created the groundwork for Pet Sounds, often considered to be one of the best albums ever made (Rolling Stone, for instance, ranked it Number Two in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time). The 1966 album features such iconic tracks as God Only Knows, Sloop John B, and Wouldn’t It Be Nice, and was inspired by The Beatles’ Rubber Soul, which was released a year before. In turn, The Beatles cited Pet Sounds as the driving force behind Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, with Paul McCartney dubbing God Only Knows as his favorite song of all time.
Even so, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Wilson. He experienced symptoms of what would later be diagnosed as schizoaffective and mild bipolar disorders, hearing voices in his head and spending time in psychiatric institutions during the late 1960s. Throughout the 1970s, he once again became isolated from his bandmates as a result of his mental health issues and substance abuse, landing him in the care of his psychologist, the controversial and controlling Eugene Landy. The arrangement between the two survived until 1992, when Landy was legally barred from contacting Wilson again.
“[Wilson] was a man so lonely and so abused and maligned, ostracized,” Van Dyke Parks told Rolling Stone in 2004. “It was an outrage what he suffered.”
In 2011, Wilson reunited with The Beach Boys for a tour and the album That’s Why God Made the Radio, and, throughout the years, also released solo albums, including the eponymous Brian Wilson from 1988 and the unfinished Smile. When Wilson finally finished Smile, in 2004 and against all odds, the Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow LP earned him his first-ever Grammy Award. As a testament to his remarkable career, Wilson, alongside Thr Beach Boys, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Shortly after his second wife, Melinda Kae Ledbetter, died in January 2024, Wilson’s family announced that he had dementia and had been placed under a conservatorship. Wilson’s cause of death has not yet been revealed, but news of his passing has garnered heartfelt reactions and tributes from the public at large, including those from fellow musicians.
“Heard the sad news about Brian today and thought about all the years I’ve been listening to him and admiring his genius,” Bob Dylan wrote on social media. “Rest in peace dear Brian.”
Nancy Sinatra, in her own tribute, added: “His cherished music will live forever as he travels through the universe and beyond. God bless you, sweet Brian.”
Per a post by Sean Lennon, not many others “influenced [him] as much as [Wilson] did.” He even called Wilson our “American Mozart.”
Brian Wilson, the cofounder, singer-songwriter, and creative genius behind the legendary pop and rock band The Beach Boys, has died at 82.
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Wilson wrote and produced dozens of the band’s chart-topping songs, including Good Vibrations, I Get Around, Help Me, Rhonda, and their first major hit, Surfin’ U.S.A.
Wilson also spearheaded much of the material for Pet Sounds, released by The Beach Boys in 1966 and often considered to be one of the best albums ever made.
Brian Wilson, David Marks, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and Al Jardine performing at a Beach Boys concert in May 2012. (Photo: Louise Palanker via Wikimedia Commons, CC 2.0)
Sources: Brian Wilson, visionary creative spirit for the Beach Boys, dies aged 82; Brian Wilson, legendary Beach Boys singer-songwriter, dies at 82; Brian Wilson, Beach Boys Co-Founder and Architect of Pop, Dead at 82
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