Latest news with #MelindaLedbetter
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brian Wilson's Cause of Death Has Been Revealed
Brian Wilson's cause of death has been revealed two weeks after The Beach Boys singer's death was announced by his family on June 11. According to the death certificate obtained by TMZ, the musician's immediate cause of death was listed as respiratory arrest, with sepsis and cystitis also listed as contributing causes. According to Advanced Cardiac Life Support training, respiratory arrest is when a person stops breathing — which often happens at the same time as cardiac arrest — but still has a pulse. More from Billboard How Much Money Does Brian Wilson's Music Earn Every Year? Ariana Grande, Brandi Carlile & Andrew Watt Among 534 People Invited to Join Motion Picture Academy Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl Halftime Performer Arrested After On-Field Gaza & Sudan Protest The death certificate also notes that the musician had several other significant conditions: neurodegenerative disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic respiratory failure and chronic kidney disease. His date of death was also confirmed to be June 11. The iconic musician is survived by his daughters with Marilyn Rovell, Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson, who formed '90s pop trio Wilson Phillips with Chynna Phillips, who is the daughter of The Mamas and the Papas members John and Michelle Phillips. He is also survived by the five children he adopted with wife Melinda Ledbetter. During The Beach Boys' career, the group notched 15 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with four of them reaching the summit: 'I Get Around' in 1964, 'Help Me Rhonda' in 1965, 'Good Vibrations' in 1966, and 'Kokomo' in 1988. The latter song, in which Brian Wilson was not involved, was featured in the Tom Cruise film Cocktail. On the album side, the band charted an impressive 56 titles on the all-genre Billboard 200, with 13 hitting the top 10, and two landing at the summit: 1974's Endless Summer for one week that October, and Beach Boys in Concert for four weeks at the end of 1964. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Carnie Wilson breaks silence on dad Brian Wilson's death after his devastating health battle
Brian Wilson's daughter Carnie Wilson is speaking out following the death of the music star at 82 after a battle with dementia. 'I have no words to express the sadness I feel right now,' Carnie, 57, told 204,000 followers on Instagram Wednesday evening. 'My Father was every fiber of my body. 'He will be remembered by millions and millions until the world ends. I am lucky to have been his daughter and had a soul connection with him that will live on always.' The Wilson Phillips singer added, 'I've never felt this kind of pain before, but I know he's resting up there in heaven ... or maybe playing the piano for Grandma Audree his Mom.' The Hold On songstress wrapped up in saying, 'I will post something else soon but this is all my hands will let me type. I love you Daddy....I miss so much you already.' Carnie, a member of the musical trio with sister Wendy Wilson, 55, and Chynna Phillips Baldwin, said a year ago her dad had been 'well taken care of' as he reflected on his incredible life and career in music. Carnie spoke with People in April 2024 about how her father was doing in his dementia battle, in addition to the conservatorship he was placed in, months after the January 2024 death of his spouse Melinda Ledbetter at 77. 'He's living in so much gratitude right now that he got to tour all these years,' Carnie said. 'We are a very big part of his life, helping monitor his health, helping them make sure that every day, he's cared for.' Carnie spoke out as Beach Boys co-founder Al Jardine paid memorial to his late friend and colleague. 'Brian Wilson, my friend, my classmate, my football teammate, my Beach Boy bandmate and my brother in spirit, I will always feel blessed that you were in our lives for as long as you were,' Jardine said in a statement. Wilson's passing came after a tragic health battle that saw the musical icon behind hits such as California Girls, Good Vibrations and Wouldn't It Be Nice living with dementia. Jardine referenced Wilson's late brothers and Beach Boys bandmates Carl and Dennis, who died respectively in 1998 and 1983. 'I think the most comforting thought right now is that you are reunited with Carl and Dennis, singing those beautiful harmonies again,' Jardine said. Jardine wrapped up with warm words for the iconic singer-songwriter, saying, 'You were a humble giant who always made me laugh and we will celebrate your music forever.' Jardine referenced the group's 1964 track The Warmth Of The Sun, saying, 'Brian, I'll really miss you…still I have the warmth of the sun within me tonight.' Wilson and Jardine initially crossed paths playing high school football with one another at Hawthorne High School in Hawthorne, California. Jardine played the position of fullback, while Brian – in a possible harbinger to his future leadership in The Beach Boys – was a quarterback. Brian also played baseball and was a cross-country runner during his time in high school, according to his website. They continued their friendship as classmates at El Camino College in Torrance, California. It was there they started exploring their musical aspirations, as Jardine was into folk music, Wilson believed rock 'n' roll was the wave of the future. Wilson eventually asked Jardine to come into the group in the early 60s, and the pals would be seen more than 50 years later continuing to hang out and perform. Jardine was comforted by a number of his followers amid the sad life event. One wrote to the musician: 'You're a beautiful human being Mr Jardine, I'm sorry for your great loss.' Another added, 'Truly sorry for your loss, Al, I can't even imagine how it feels. We will love and cherish Brian's music forever. Said one user: 'I'm so sorry for your loss Al ... Brian was the greatest gift from god. He will be sorely missed.' One user advise the grieving Jardine, 'Listen for the harmonies in the breezes tonight,' adding, 'We love you Al.' Said one user: 'Deepest condolences to you, Al and rest in eternal peace to all the Wilson brothers. Goodbyes are so difficult. At least they are together again.'
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Brian Wilson's touching love story with wife Melinda: How the late Beach Boys singer met his 'savior'
The late Brian Wilson and his wife Melinda Ledbetter had a powerful love story that all began in 1986 at a car dealership. While the couple split three years into their romance as a result of the Beach Boy singer's therapist and then-legal guardian Dr. Eugene Levy, they eventually wed and started a family together. They remained married until Ledbetter's death in January 2024. Just over a year later, on Wednesday, Wilson's children announced his passing at age 82. The couple's inspiring romance even was the subject of the 2015 biopic, Love & Mercy, which starred John Cusack as Brian and Elizabeth Banks as Melinda. 'I remember meeting her at her dealership, Cadillac, and I said, "God, she's a pretty girl,"' Wilson told ABC News during a joint interview with his wife in 2015. 'I just said to myself, "God, I think I'll see her again sometime.' 'That's what attracted me to him,' Ledbetter said. 'He was so nice.' The sale was the fastest Ledbetter had ever conducted, according to Rolling Stone. 'And he bought the ugliest car,' she said with a giggle during a 1999 interview with the magazine with her husband 'Honey, I always thought that was an ugly Seville, that color brown.' 'I liked it,' her husband insisted. At the time, Landy wielded heavy influence over Wilson's life. But Ledbetter was key in assisting Wilson in extricating Landy from his life. Landy, who died in 2006, was barred from any contact with the Beach Boys artist in 1992, a year after Wilson's relatives sued Landy and said that he had 'undue influence' over the musical artist. Landy was the one to call Ledbetter to arrange their first date. His life was pretty choreographed,' she said. 'But I just thought Brian was, like, the sweetest guy I had ever met. I thought, 'I gotta go see what this is all about.' They were together for three years until Landy intervened and ended the romance. 'He was overmedicating Wilson and doing a lot of things that doctors shouldn't do,' Ledbetter recalled to the publication. 'I was questioning things, and that pissed him off. But I had seen something that was so wrong — it was like someone taking a child and abusing them, and none of the neighbors wanted to know about it.' Three years later, after the law intervened to remove Landy from his life, that they reunited. 'I was driving down Pico Boulevard one day and I nearly ran over him,' she recalled of their fateful 1992 reunion. 'He had gone across the street from his studio to sneak a cigarette and I almost hit him, so I stopped and we just started to see each other again. It was like fate.' The relationship between Wilson and Ledbetter was chronicled in a 2014 biopic film titled Love & Mercy. The motion picture examined the Beach Boys singer's past battles with mental illness; and his controversial dealings with his late therapist. Ledbetter said in a 2004 appearance on Larry King that Wilson was largely estranged from his friends, family and colleagues when she met him in the 1980s during his time under Landy's care. She said of Landy, 'He was called into help and I think originally he did help. He helped Brian lose weight. He helped Brian care about himself physically again. 'As time went on, he became very captive of Brian. Brian was primarily a prisoner.' Ledbetter in May of 1998 spoke with The Chicago Tribune about Wilson rebuilding his life after parting ways with Landy, as well as the problematic upbringing he endured. 'He came from an incredibly dysfunctional family,' Ledbetter said. 'His father was abusive, his father was abused. And Brian should have been an abuser too. Instead, Brian just withdrew. He was never involved with his kids.' Ledbetter continued: 'Now, although music is still extremely important to him, he's learned that there's love, family. I just wonder what the music would have been like if he had this sooner, what he could have done if he had a supportive, loving family around him all along.' During their marriage, Brian and Melinda adopted five children together - Dakota Rose, Daria Rose, Delanie Rose, Dylan and Dash. The singer also has daughters Carnie, 57, and Wendy, 55, from his first marriage to Marilyn Rovell. Last year, weeks after the death of Melinda, it emerged that Brian had been diagnosed with a neurocognitive disorder similar to dementia. His children announced their father's death on the singer's official Instagram page this Wednesday, alongside what appeared to be a recent photo. 'We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now,' they wrote. '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.'
