Brian Wilson Dies at 82 After a Lifetime Shaping Pop Music

Brian Wilson, the musical visionary behind the Beach Boys and creator of the influential album “Pet Sounds,” has died at 82, his family confirmed on Wednesday. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” read a message from his family posted to Instagram. “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.”

His daughter Carnie Wilson posted her own tribute on Instagram, writing, “I have no words to express the sadness I feel right now. My Father @brianwilsonlive 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. 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. I will post something else soon but this is all my hands will let me type. I love you Daddy….I miss you so much already.”

In 2023, Wilson’s representatives disclosed that he had been diagnosed with a major neurocognitive disorder, such as dementia, and was placed under a conservatorship.

Brian Wilson remains one of the most influential American pop musicians of all time. With the Beach Boys, he helped define the optimistic California sound of the 1960s through chart-topping tracks like “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” “I Get Around,” and “Good Vibrations” — even though Wilson himself was never much of a surfer.

He formed the band alongside his brothers Carl and Dennis, his cousin Mike Love, and family friend Al Jardine. The Beach Boys’ music painted an image of coastal bliss, but also explored more reflective emotions with songs like “In My Room.”

Driven by ambition and inspired by the Beatles, Wilson created the landmark 1966 album “Pet Sounds,” a symphonic and experimental blend of pop, jazz, and avant-garde music. Though it wasn’t an immediate commercial hit, it stunned critics and peers alike, including the Beatles, who cited it as inspiration for “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

Paul McCartney famously said, “I figure no one is educated musically ’til they’ve heard ‘Pet Sounds.’ I love the orchestra, the arrangements — it may be going overboard to say it’s the classic of the century — but to me, it certainly is a total, classic record that is unbeatable in many ways. I’ve often played ‘Pet Sounds’ and cried.”

Wilson helped reshape the way pop music was made, turning the studio itself into an instrument and taking creative control over every detail of the production. He was one of the first to be labeled an auteur in the world of pop.

Bob Dylan once said, “Jesus, that ear. He should donate it to the Smithsonian. The records I used to listen to and still love, you can’t make a record that sounds that way. Brian Wilson, he made all his records with four tracks, but you couldn’t make his records if you had a hundred tracks today.”

Wilson’s brilliance was often shadowed by personal turmoil. He battled mental illness, addiction, and a long, controlling relationship with celebrity psychologist Dr. Eugene Landy, who was later banned from contacting Wilson. Their complicated relationship was dramatized in the 2015 film “Love & Mercy.”

Though he withdrew from the spotlight at times, Wilson never fully stepped away from music. He continued to record solo albums and made live appearances, all while influencing generations of musicians including R.E.M., Daft Punk, Radiohead, and Wilco.

He received numerous accolades, including two Grammy Awards, inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2007.

Wilson was married twice, first to Marilyn Rovell and later to Melinda Ledbetter, who passed away last year.