R.I.P. Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson, legendary songwriter and co-founder of the Beach Boys, has died, his family has confirmed. In 2024, it was revealed that he was living with a neurocognative disorder. He was 82.

“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” his family said in a statement on Facebook. “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.”

Wilson was born in Inglewood, California, and in 1961, he formed The Pendletones with his brothers Dennis and Carl, cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. They released their first song, “Surfin’,” that same year, but their label changed the name to The Beach Boys. They played their first show on New Year’s Eve 1961.

From that point on, the group released new albums at a steady clip, having released seven albums by the end of 1964. Wilson also began to work as a producer for other artists, including Jan and Dean, the Castellas, and other artists. In 1964, he stopped touring with the group after having a panic attack, though he continued to write and record with the Beach Boys. The next year he began work on the legendary album Pet Sounds, which was a commercial disappointment at the time but which is now recognized as one of the greatest albums of the 1960s as well as one of the greatest pop records of all time.

Wilson’s planned follow-up, Smile, was originally set to be released in 1967 but ended up being scrapped because of delays, various songs popping up on the group’s subsequent albums over the next few years. It was widely bootlegged and became something of a holy grail for fans, until eventually being officially released as a box set with its complete sessions in 2011. 

After the cancellation of Smile’s release, Wilson entered a hospital for psychiatric treatment and struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. He continued working with the Beach Boys in a diminished capacity. Wilson later became involved with the psychologist Eugene Landy, whose treatment of Wilson became the subject of the film Love & Mercy. Landy exercised control over Wilson’s work and finances, and after Carl Wilson and other members of the family took legal action, his license was revoked, which was followed by a restraining order. 

Wilson resumed making music and even re-recorded Smile, his new version released in 2004. He also released a memoir in 2016. 

The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.