The music world was saddened to hear that Beach Boys founder and one of rock n’ roll’s most legendary figures, Brian Wilson, died on June 11, 2025. He was 82 years old, and his family announced his death on Instagram.
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“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” reads the Instagram post. “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”
Regarded as one of most brilliant musical creatives of our age — and called a “genius” again and again — Wilson is a figure whose impact and reach extend far beyond numbers like records sold, awards won, songs written, and so forth. The Beach Boys’ music grew in direct proportion to his growth as a songwriter and producer, and he drove the band to create some of the most impressive music of the 20th century, particularly 1966’s “Pet Sounds.” He inspired musicians of multiple generations, was the driving force behind the Beach Boys’ nearly 27 million albums sold, earned two Grammys out of nine nominations, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001, helped the Beach Boys get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and much more.
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A restless musical genius
Brian Douglas Wilson was born in 1942 in Inglewood, California to an abusive but musical home. He and his brother Carl and Dennis — who would join the Beach Boys along with Brian — vocally harmonized from an early age, used music as an escape, and began performing at local parties along with their cousin Mike Love. By the time they hit high school got friend Al Jardine on board to form their first, five-person band, the Pendletones.
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By 1961 the group decided to home-in on surfing as a songwriting gimmick, and by 1962 had already been signed and released their first album “Surfin’ Safari” under their new band name, the Beach Boys. Right off the bat, their debut featured some of the textured, innovative harmonization that characterized their and Brian Wilson’s work for decades to come. Wilson’s accomplishments always interweaved with the Beach Boys, but stood out because he was the creative brain behind the band’s songwriting and production.
1963 to 1965 saw the Beach Boys release nine albums and 16 singles, an amount of work that wore Wilson down to the bone. At the same time, he grew tired of the Beach Boys’ whole surfing thing, began experimenting with LSD, underwent a nervous breakdown, and steered the band away from its safe path and into more experimental work. This led to the creation of 1966’s “Pet Sounds,” an album that Rolling Stone ranked as No. 2 in its all-time 500 top album list.
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Ongoing mental health problems
Brian Wilson experienced mental health issues right when the Beach Boys were at their peak in the 1960s. He was eventually diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which Mayo Clinic explains is characterized by hallucinations, delusions, mood swings, depression, mania, and more. Wilson’s abusive childhood, when combined with the stresses of his career and his increasing drug use, psychologically affected him. Looking at his output, 1966’s “Pet Sounds” segued to 1967’s “Smiley Smile,” a diluted version of an album that he started but gave up on. As Ultimate Classic Rock outlines, Wilson more or less vanished until 1977’s “The Beach Boys Love You,” and then vanished again until his 1988 debut solo album, “Brian Wilson.” He experienced modest success in his solo career, selling over 145,000 albums total.
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In his personal life, Wilson was married twice. He was first married to Marilyn Rovell from 1964 to 1979, with whom he had two children. In 1995 he married Melinda Ledbetter, with whom he adopted five children. Melinda died in January 2024, mere months before Wilson went into conservatorship. At the time of her death, he penned a tribute to her on his website (via Associated Press). “Melinda was more than my wife,” he wrote. “She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us.” Wilson is survived by his seven children, six grandchildren, and countless fans.
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If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
