Beach Boys co-founder and lead songwriter Brian Wilson, whose musical peers touted him as a true genius of pop composition, has died. He was 82.
The news was shared by his family in a joint statement on social media: “We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving.”
The statement continued, acknowledging, “We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.” It is signed “Love & Mercy,” in reference to Wilson’s song, which also provided the title to the 2014 biopic about the musician, starring Paul Dano and John Cusack as younger and older versions of Wilson.
News of the nine-time Grammy nominee and two-time winner’s death comes less than 10 days before Wilson would have celebrated his 83rd birthday on June 20.
In February 2024, Wilson’s children shared that he had a “major neurocognitive disorder” and had entered into a conservatorship following the death of his second wife and longtime caregiver, Melinda Ledbetter, the previous month. A judge granted the conservatorship that May.
Before his dementia diagnosis, Wilson had numerous physical and mental health struggles throughout his life. He famously suffered a nervous breakdown in 1964 at the height of the Beach Boys’ fame and withdrew from touring with the band. That reclusive period also marked a turning point for Wilson artistically and ultimately led to the band’s most critically acclaimed work, 1966’s “Pet Sounds.”
Despite initial poor reception and sales, “Pet Sounds” was ultimately inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry for its impact.
The landmark album features some of the band’s most well-known songs, with “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” on the A side and “God Only Knows” on the B side. It notably features at the end of “Love, Actually.”
Wilson sought to top himself with “Smile,” but his ongoing struggles with his mental health, substance abuse and disordered eating, combined with conflicts involving the band’s label, led to the project’s shelving. The Beach Boys followed “Pet Sounds” with the comparatively underwhelming “Smiley Smile,” which cobbled together some of the more marketable songs from the “Smile” sessions.
The abandoned magnum opus became steeped in mythology and apocryphal tales over the years, with bootleg versions of the album cobbled together by fans circulating on the internet decades later.
In 1996, Wilson’s work on “Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” scored an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cultural Music-Dance Program. The Beach Boys’ legacy was acknowledged in 2001 when they were honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
More recently, Wilson earned Golden Globe and Grammy nods for Best Original Song (“One Kind of Love,” from “Love & Mercy”) and Best Dance Recording (“Drinkee,” with Sofi Tukker), respectively.
Nancy Sinatra, Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood, the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, Cusack and electronic duo Disclosure were among those paying tribute to Wilson Wednesday.
“One of the biggest thrills of my life was singing ‘California Girls’ with Brian,” said Sinatra.
“Anyone with a musical bone in their body must be grateful for Brian Wilson’s genius magical touch!!” wrote Fleetwood. “And greatly saddened of this major world loss!! My thoughts go out to his family and friends.”
“Oh no Brian Wilson and Sly Stone in one week ~ my world is in mourning,” wrote Wood.
“The maestro has passed,” Cusack tweeted, along with photos of himself and Wilson. “The man was a[n] open heart with two legs — with an ear that heard the angels. Quite literally. Love and mercy for you and yours tonight. RIP Brian.”
Disclosure commented on Wilson’s family’s post that he was their “favorite producer & composer of all time,” and had “pushed the boundaries further than anyone had before.”
A “heart broken” Seán Ono Lennon, son of Yoko and John, said “not many people influenced me the way [Wilson] did.”
Zooey Deschanel shared photos of her time in the studio and sharing the stage with her “true musical hero” Wilson, as part of the duo She & Him. The actress also praised Wilson’s “generosity of spirit and truly incandescent creativity.”
Wilson is survived by his daughters from his first marriage, Carnie and Wendy Wilson of the band Wilson Phillips, and five other daughters adopted with his second wife, Melinda Ledbetter, who preceded him in death last year.
Originally Published: June 11, 2025 at 1:14 PM EDT
