'Genius magical touch': Celebrity tributes pour in for The Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson after his death aged 82 following dementia battle

Sky News AU

12-06-2025

The Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson has died at the age of 82.
Wilson's family confirmed the news through a statement on the official Instagram account and website on Wednesday.
"We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away," the statement read.
"We are at a loss for words right now.
"Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving.
"We realise that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy."
Wilson's family did not provide a cause of death for the Surf City hitmaker, who was just days shy of his 83rd birthday.
The rocker started his music career in 1961 by forming the Beach Boys with his brother Carl Wilson, cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine.
He served as the rock band's songwriter, producer, co-lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist and became the first pop musician credited for writing, arranging, producing, and performing his own material in 1962.
Celebrity tributes have poured in for the renowned musician, including from Bob Dylan, Carole King, Keith Richards and Mick Fleetwood.
'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," Dylan wrote on X.
Singer Carole King described Wilson as her "brother and friend in songwriting" in a Facebook statement paying homage to his music.
"We shared a similar sensibility, as evidenced by his 4 over 5 chord under 'Aaaah!' in 'Good Vibrations' and mine under 'I'm Into Something Good," she said.
"We once discussed who used it first, and in the end we decided it didn't matter. The world will miss Brian, but we are so lucky to have his music.'
Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood said the world had lost a genius.
'Anyone with a musical bone in their body must be grateful for Brian Wilson's genius magical touch!!" he said.
"And greatly saddened of this major worldly loss!! My thoughts go out to his family and friends."
Wilson is remembered through his five adopted children he shared with his late wife, Melinda Kae Ledbetter, and their six grandchildren.
After Ledbetter died in 2024, Wilson declared she was his "saviour" and the reason he was considered a pioneer in composition and recording.
"She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closer to my heart," he said.
Just weeks later, Wilson was diagnosed with dementia and became unable to care for himself with his family arranging conservatorship.
At the pinnacle of his success in the 1960s, Wilson had written more than two dozen US Top 40 hits still famous today, including Surf City (1963), I Get Around (1964), Help Me, Rhonda (1965), and Good Vibrations (1966).
The Beach Boys' second album, Surfin' U.S.A., was released in 1963, following Surfin' Safari the previous year.
The album, a cultural phenomenon, peaked at number two on the Billboard charts and solidified the boy band as a major act.
It conjured images of a carefree California lifestyle, complete with palm trees and beaches.
Wilson's health deteriorated around 1964 when he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and mild bipolar disorder with hallucinations.
In a psychiatrist appointment, Wilson was ruled to have been suffering from work-related fatigue.
He later admitted to taking recreational drugs on a Beach Boys tour, with his hallucinations emerging a week after he first used psychedelics.
As Wilson's condition worsened in the early 1980s when he was a patient at Brotzman Memorial Hospital, doctors retracted his schizophrenia diagnosis after finding evidence of brain damage caused by drug use.
The music legend refrained from touring but was the mastermind behind the Beach Boys' 1966 magnum opus, Pet Sounds.
Wilson's use of psychedelic drugs fueled the band's creative inspiration.
Pet Sounds, with its hit singles God Only Knows, and I Know There's An Answer, was influenced by his experience with mind-altering drugs.
The album was praised by the Beatles' singer Paul McCartney, who commended Wilson's writing.
"I love the album so much. I've just bought my kids each a copy of it for their education in life," McCartney said in 1990.
"I figure no one is educated musically 'til they've heard that album. I was into the writing and the songs."
Wilson completed the Beach Boys' unfinished album, Smile, in 1967, widely regarded as a legendary unreleased album in music history.
The Beach Boys rank among the most popular rock-era groups, with more than 30 singles in the Top 40 and worldwide sales exceeding 100 million.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.