Brian Wilson, the co-founder and legendary songwriter of the Beach Boys, has died. Wilson’s family shared the news of his passing on social media today (June 11), writing: “We are heartbroken to announced 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 grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.” Wilson was 82 years old.
Born Brian Douglas Wilson in Inglewood, California, Wilson formed the Beach Boys in 1961 along with his two younger brothers, cousin Mike Love, and school friend Alan Jardine. Originally called the Pendletones, the band’s name was changed – without the members’ permission – by Candi Records, which released their first song, ‘Surfin’’. After signing with Capitol in 1962, the band issued their debut album, Surfin’ Safari, and the following year ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’ reached No. 3 on the US charts. Alongside Surfer Girl and Little Deuce Coupe, Surfin’ U.S.A. was one of three albums the Beach Boys released that year. Wilson also began working as producer with other artists, including Jan and Dean, the Castellas, Donna Loren, Sharon Marie, and others.
In 1964, Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown and stepped away from touring to focus on his songwriting and production, which became increasingly experimental as the decade wore on. This led to the Beach Boys’ seminal 1965 album Pet Sounds, as well as the unfinished Smile, which he described as a “teenage symphony to God.” “I did a lot of the singing on Pet Sounds because it was sort of my album in a way,” Wilson told the Houston Chronicle. “It was the Beach Boys, but also a chance to express myself completely.”
After Smile was scrapped due to constant delays, Wilson’s mental health worsened in the late 1960s, leading to periods marked by reclusion and substance abuse. In 1968, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. Though he continued working with the Beach Boys through the mid-70s, his role in the band diminished, ceding most of the control to his younger brother Carl.
Wilson released his first solo album in 1988. It was led by the single ‘Love and Mercy’, which was also the name of a 2015 biographical film starring Paul Dano as young Wilson. In 2000, Wilson embarked on a tour that featured the first full live performances of Pet Sounds, which was followed by Wilson revisiting songs from Smile for Brian Wilson: Presents Smile. In 2015, he put out No Pier Pressure, which featured appearances from Kacey Musgraves and Zooey Deschanel. A documentary film called Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021, the same year that saw the release of the solo piano album At My Piano.
In 2024, it was revealed that Wilson had dementia and months later was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship. Beyond being vastly and continuously influential, Wilson’s work was also similarly transcendent, harbouring a purity and imagination – orchestral, melodic, emotional – unmatched in popular music and beyond. “No greater world in rock and roll was created than that of the Beach Boys,” Bruce Springsteen wrote in a quote featured on Wilson’s website. “The level of musicianship – I don’t think anybody’s touched it yet.”
