He died at 82 Brian Wilsonthe visionary heart of the Beach Boysthe man who transformed the lightness of the surf into orchestral poetry, who took the California As a postcard and gave her a melancholy soul. To give the announcement, his family, with a post on Instagram full of emotion: «With the broken heart we announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has disappeared. We have no words. We ask you to respect our privacy in this moment of mourning. We know we are sharing our pain with the world. Love & Mercy ».
If there is a soundtrack of theAmerica of the sixties – that of the hair in the wind, the waves to ride and the re -based engines – is the music of the beach boys. But behind those tanned smiles and the dream harmonies there was him, Brian, the shy boy of English with an absolute ear and a talent capable of reinventing pop music. His absolute masterpiece, Pet soundsrecorded in 1966, is not only the summit of the Beach Boys discography: for many it is the largest album ever made in the history of music. It was Paul McCartney who said it first, and he was not the only one.
Born in 1942, Wilson had learned to reproduce melodies even before knowing how to speak. With the brothers Dennis and Carl, and the cousin Mike Love, he formed a high school band that in a short time, thanks also to his friend at Jardine, would become the beach boys. The first single, Surfincame out in 1961. From there, a burst of hit: Surfin ‘Safari, Surfer Girl, Fun, fun, fun and the generational anthem Surfin ‘USA. But for Brian it was not enough. He wanted to go further, make music something more ambitious, more cultured, deeper.
Manufacturer as well as author, it was he who transformed the beach boys from Boyband Bayband to the avant -garde sound laboratory. In the studio he experimented as an alchemist: sumptuous orchestractions, impossible vocal harmonies, unusual tools (famous the use of coca-cola bottles as percussion). THE’LSDthat Wilson declared fundamental for his creativity, opened new doors but also contributed to worsening one mental health already compromised. Diagnosis: Schizoaffective disorder and mild depression. But behind the myth, the man remained, fragile and often only, who over the years would have crossed crisis, psychiatric clinics, experimental therapies, and a long descent between drugs, alcohol, and isolation.
In the seventies, while the beach boys were looking for a new identity, Wilson was often absent, or half present. Smilethe album that had to follow Pet soundsnever saw the light in its original form. Only decades later, in 2004, Wilson published a solo version. A long pit and spring followed with the band and with his own story: returns, abandonments, legal causes, intermittent successes. In 1988 his first solo album came out, Brian Wilsonwhile a toxic relationship was left behind with the psychologist-manuger Eugene Landywho even came to be included in the musician’s will.
In 2011, he returned once again with the Beach Boys (now without Carl, who died in 1998), for a celebratory tour and the album That’s Why Good Made The Radio. Then again the separation: Mike Love on one side, Wilson and Jardine on the other. The last tour dates back to 2022, together with the Chicago band. Two years later, the hardest news: Brian suffered from dementia, and a judge placed him under legal protection.
Wilson was married twice: first with Marilyn Rovellmother of her two daughters Carnie and Wendy (who formed the Wilson Phillips group), then with Melinda Ledbetterknown in 1986 and married in 1995, who also became his manager and with whom he adopted five children. Melinda disappeared in January 2024.
In addition to the two autobiographies (Wouldn’t it be nice of 1991 e The Am Brian Wilson of 2016), its story was told in the film Love & Mercy (2014), with Paul Dano in his shoes, and in the documentary Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road (2021). For many, however, it will be enough to listen only once God Only Knows To understand who Brian Wilson really was.
Sean Lennon, John’s son: «Few have influenced me as much as he. It was kind and generous. Our American Mozart ».
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
