The surviving members of The Beach Boys have paid tribute to legendary co-founder and singer Brian Wilson, who has died.
Wilson’s death was announced by his family yesterday (June 11). He was 82 years old.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” wrote his children. “We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy.”
The Beach Boys have since remembered Brian Wilson in a touching post on social media: “The world mourns a genius today, and we grieve for the loss of our cousin, our friend, and our partner in a great musical adventure. Brian Wilson wasn’t just the heart of The Beach Boys—he was the soul of our sound. The melodies he dreamed up and the emotions he poured into every note changed the course of music forever. His unparalleled talent and unique spirit created the soundtrack of so many lives around the globe, including our own.”
“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,” they continued. “We are heartbroken by his passing. We will continue to cherish the timeless music we made together and the joy he brought to millions over the decades. And while we will miss him deeply, his legacy will live on through his songs and in our memories.”
See the full post below.
The world mourns a genius today, and we grieve for the loss of our cousin, our friend, and our partner in a great…
Posted by The Beach Boys on Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Last year saw Wilson placed in conservatorship when his family and close friends cited that the icon could no longer care for himself following a dementia diagnosis. This came after the death of Wilson’s wife and longtime manager Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, who had been acting as the music legend’s care-giver and taking care of his needs after a decline in his health. He suffered a lifelong battle with mental illness, including a nervous breakdown in 1964 that saw him resign from regular touring with The Beach Boys to focus on writing and production.
Wilson was known as one of the true geniuses of contemporary music for shifting the parameters of what pop could achieve with his experimental approach and dazzling ability for composition, production and textures.
He would go on to form the hugely influential Beach Boys with his brothers Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine, in 1961. Setting themselves apart with their layered vocal harmonies, they scored US Number One singles with the classics ‘Surf City’, ‘I Get Around’, ‘Help Me, Rhonda’ and ‘Good Vibrations’, and reached their creative zenith with 1966 seminal concept album ‘Pet Sounds’ – famously inspiring The Beatles to up their game on ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, with Paul McCartney often hailing it as his favourite album of all time.
Though he never officially left the band, Wilson was largely inactive from the mid-’70s onwards, only making sporadic live appearances and occasional songwriting contributions.
His final studio album was 2021’s ‘At My Piano’. A long-lost country album recorded by Wilson in the early 1970s had also finally been scheduled for release, with ‘Cows In The Pasture’ expected sometime in 2025.
A number of figures have since paid tribute to Wilson, with Elton John reflecting on social media: “Brian Wilson was always so kind to me from the day I met him. He sang ‘Someone Saved My Life Tonight’ at a tribute concert in 2003, and it was an extraordinary moment for me. I played on his solo records, he sang on my album, The Union, and even performed for my AIDS Foundation.
“I grew to love him as a person, and for me, he was the biggest influence on my songwriting ever; he was a musical genius and revolutionary. He changed the goalposts when it came to writing songs and shaped music forever. A true giant.”
Bob Dylan, meanwhile, added: “Heard the sad news about Brian today and thought about all the years I’ve been listening to him and admiring his genius. Rest in peace dear Brian.”
Ringo Starr wrote a simple message: “God bless Brian Wilson. Peace and love to all his family.”
John Lennon and Yoko Ono‘s son and acclaimed solo artist Sean Ono Lennon wrote: “Anyone who really knows me knows how heart broken I am about Brian Wilson passing. Not many people influenced me as much as he did. I feel very lucky that I was able to meet him and spend some time with him. He was always very kind and generous. He was our American Mozart. A one of a kind genius from another world.”
You can find more tributes from other musical greats here.
The post The Beach Boys: “Brian Wilson wasn’t just the heart of The Beach Boys – he was the soul of our sound” appeared first on NME.