Brian Wilson is dead: Beach Boys legend dies at 82

With sunny surf songs, the Beach Boys once made music history and captivated an entire generation with the Californian lifestyle. Co-founder Brian Wilson was celebrated as a pop visionary, and many songs became classics: "Fun Fun Fun," "Good Vibrations," "Little Deuce Coupe," "Help Me Rhonda," and "Surfin' USA."

Now Wilson has died at the age of 82, as his management confirmed to the German Press Agency.

"It is with broken hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved father, Brian Wilson," the musician's family wrote on his website and Instagram. "We are at a loss for words right now."

Wilson was suffering from a form of dementia and was under guardianship. His long-time wife had died last year at the age of 77. The couple had adopted five children together, and Wilson also had two children from a previous marriage.

Wilson wrote almost all of the Beach Boys' hits and produced the band's albums. With "Pet Sounds" in 1966, he created what many critics consider "the best pop album of the 20th century."

Even Paul McCartney once said that “Pet Sounds” inspired him to write the Beatles masterpiece “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

"We were young and happy and feeling good," Wilson, who was extremely taciturn outside of his music, once said. Half a century later, the musician was still touring the world with his songs, including solo. Later, however, his health repeatedly failed him, and he had to cancel and postpone concerts.

Wilson not only has fond memories of his time with the Beach Boys, as he wrote in his autobiography "I Am Brian Wilson." Wilson once said that completing the book, which he co-wrote with a journalist, took a whole year. "Pet Sounds took three months." He added that it was especially difficult to write down the times "when I was taking drugs."

The Beach Boys' success and the self-imposed pressure of competition with the Beatles took their toll on Wilson. The musician suffered nervous breakdowns, became addicted to pills, and took hashish, LSD, and eventually cocaine to boost his creativity.

At the same time, fears began to creep in: He was afraid of the sea, dreaded the beach, and shunned the sun. So he had masses of sand loaded into his living room and dipped his feet in it while he sat at the piano, writing new songs about surfing and the "California Girls." Eventually, he also fell out with his bandmates, Mike Love and David Marks.

But the three reconciled, released their comeback album "That's Why God Made the Radio" in 2012, and embarked on a sold-out world tour. Wilson's brothers Dennis and Carl, original band members, died in 1983 and 1998, respectively.

Wilson also enjoyed collaborating with young artists. For him, it was like "taking a deep breath of pure oxygen," he once told the German Press Agency.

In addition to concerts, he tried to spend plenty of time with his second wife, Melinda, who died in 2024, and his seven children. "You never have enough time for the people you love."

RND/dpa