Reuters
Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson, who created some of rock's most enduring songs such as "Good Vibrations" and "God Only Knows" in a career that was marked by a decades-long battle between his musical genius, drug abuse and mental health issues, has died at the age of 82.
Wilson's family announced his death in a statement on the singer's website.
"We are at a loss for words right now," the statement said. "We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world."
The statement did not disclose a cause of death. Wilson had suffered from dementia and was unable to care for himself after his wife Melinda Wilson died in early 2024, prompting his family to put him under conservatorship.
Starting in 1961, the Beach Boys put out a string of sunny hits celebrating the touchstones of California youth culture - surfing, cars and romance. But what made the songs special was the ethereal harmonies that Wilson arranged and that would become the band's lasting trademark.
Wilson formed the band with younger brothers Carl and Dennis, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine in their hometown, the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne. They went on to have 36 Top 40 hits, with Wilson writing and composing most of the early works.
Songs such as "Little Deuce Coupe," "Surfin' U.S.A.," "California Girls," "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "Help Me, Rhonda" remain instantly recognizable and eminently danceable.
But there were plenty of bad vibrations in Wilson's life: an abusive father, a cornucopia of drugs, a series of mental breakdowns, long periods of seclusion and depression and voices in his head that, even when he was on stage, told him he was no good.
"I've lived a very, very difficult, haunted life," Wilson told the Washington Post in 2007.
In May 2024, a judge ruled the 81-year-old Wilson should be put under a conservatorship after two longtime associates had petitioned the court at his family's request, saying he could not care for himself following the death of his wife, Melinda.
By 1966 touring had already become an ordeal for Wilson, who suffered what would be his first mental breakdown. He remained the Beach Boys' mastermind but retreated to the studio to work, usually without his bandmates, on "Pet Sounds," a symphonic reflection on the loss of innocence.
The landmark "Good Vibrations" was recorded during those sessions, though it did not make it on to the album. Though "Pet Sounds" included hits such as "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Sloop John B" and "God Only Knows", it was not an immediate commercial success in the United States. There also was resistance to the album within the band, especially from singer Love, who wanted to stick with the proven money-making sound.
Wilson's family announced his death in a statement on the singer's website.
"We are at a loss for words right now," the statement said. "We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world."
The statement did not disclose a cause of death. Wilson had suffered from dementia and was unable to care for himself after his wife Melinda Wilson died in early 2024, prompting his family to put him under conservatorship.
Starting in 1961, the Beach Boys put out a string of sunny hits celebrating the touchstones of California youth culture - surfing, cars and romance. But what made the songs special was the ethereal harmonies that Wilson arranged and that would become the band's lasting trademark.
Wilson formed the band with younger brothers Carl and Dennis, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine in their hometown, the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne. They went on to have 36 Top 40 hits, with Wilson writing and composing most of the early works.
Songs such as "Little Deuce Coupe," "Surfin' U.S.A.," "California Girls," "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "Help Me, Rhonda" remain instantly recognizable and eminently danceable.
But there were plenty of bad vibrations in Wilson's life: an abusive father, a cornucopia of drugs, a series of mental breakdowns, long periods of seclusion and depression and voices in his head that, even when he was on stage, told him he was no good.
"I've lived a very, very difficult, haunted life," Wilson told the Washington Post in 2007.
In May 2024, a judge ruled the 81-year-old Wilson should be put under a conservatorship after two longtime associates had petitioned the court at his family's request, saying he could not care for himself following the death of his wife, Melinda.
By 1966 touring had already become an ordeal for Wilson, who suffered what would be his first mental breakdown. He remained the Beach Boys' mastermind but retreated to the studio to work, usually without his bandmates, on "Pet Sounds," a symphonic reflection on the loss of innocence.
The landmark "Good Vibrations" was recorded during those sessions, though it did not make it on to the album. Though "Pet Sounds" included hits such as "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Sloop John B" and "God Only Knows", it was not an immediate commercial success in the United States. There also was resistance to the album within the band, especially from singer Love, who wanted to stick with the proven money-making sound.
