Brian Wilson, Beach Boys co-founder, dies at age 82

Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, has died, his family said in a statement posted to his website and social media accounts.

He was 82.

"We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away," the family said in a Jun. 11 statement.

"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."

Other details were not available.

Since May 2024, Wilson had been under a court conservatorship to oversee his personal and medical affairs, with Wilson's long-time representatives in charge.

Was last surviving brother in Beach Boys

He was the eldest and last surviving of three musical brothers in the Beach Boys.

Brian played bass, Carl on lead guitar, and Dennis oversaw drums.

Dennis drowned in 1983.

Musical genius

Wilson is known as a genius for melody and arrangement.

The Beach Boys rose to fame in the 1960s from local California band to national hitmakers.

They are ranked among the most popular groups of the rock era, with worldwide sales of more than 100 million.

Troubled personal life

Wilson was a tall, shy, and partially deaf, allegedly because of beatings by his father, Murry Wilson.

He was born Jun. 20, 1942, two days after Paul McCartney of the Beatles, whose music he adored and whose band he set out to beat.

As a boy, Wilson played the piano and taught his brothers to sing harmony.

The Beach Boys started out rehearsing in Wilson's bedroom and in the garage of the the family house in suburban Hawthorne, California.

Mental breakdowns

Wilson suffered his first mental breakdown in 1966.

He then began focusing more on studio work.

The 1966 album "Pet Sounds" was voted No. 2 in a 2003 Rolling Stone list of the best 500 albums.

It lost out to the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

Wilson also composed "Good Vibrations" during the "Pet Sounds" sessions, but the song was not included in the album.

It subsequently became the Beach Boys’ most celebrated single.

Wilson's mental health continued to deteriorate in the 1970s and 1980s.

In his later years, he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder with auditory hallucinations and baffled interviewers with brief and disjointed answers.

His then-wife enlisted psychotherapist Eugene Landy, whose unorthodox and highly controlling methods eventually led to legal intervention.

Wilson's family took Landy to court in 1992 to end the relationship.

Landy relinquished his psychology licence after admitting to unlawfully prescribing drugs.

More music in latter years

In 2004, Wilson released Brian Wilson Presents Smile, a long-delayed project that had originally been scrapped due to internal band conflicts.

In 2012, he reunited with surviving Beach Boys members for a 50th anniversary tour.

Tensions remained and Wilson participated in several shows before reportedly being dismissed.

His final live performance was in 2022.

Wilson had two daughters, Carnie and Wendy, from his first marriage.

The daughters found success in the 1990s with the pop group Wilson Phillips.

He and his second wife adopted five children.

All photos via Brian Wilson Facebook