"We are at a loss for words" Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson (82) is dead
Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson has died at the age of 82.
Image: dpa
Musician Brian Wilson poses for a portrait in Los Angeles in 2015.
Image: dpa
The Beach Boys became world-famous in the 1960s with hits such as "Good Vibrations", "Surfin' USA" and "I get around".
Image: imago/Manngold
US singer Brian Wilson and his wife and manager Melinda Ledbetter at the Berlinale in Berlin in 2015.
Image: Lukas Schulze/dpa
Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson has died at the age of 82.
Image: dpa
Musician Brian Wilson poses for a portrait in Los Angeles in 2015.
Image: dpa
The Beach Boys became world-famous in the 1960s with hits such as "Good Vibrations", "Surfin' USA" and "I get around".
Image: imago/Manngold
US singer Brian Wilson and his wife and manager Melinda Ledbetter at the Berlinale in Berlin in 2015.
Image: Lukas Schulze/dpa
He shaped generations of musicians and fans with his music. The album "Pet Sounds" is still considered one of the best of all time. Brian Wilson, one of the founders of the legendary surf band Beach Boys, has died.
11.06.2025, 19:40
12.06.2025, 07:12
dpa
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Brian Wilson, one of the founders of the legendary surf band Beach Boys, has died.
- Wilson died at the age of 82, his family announced on Wednesday.
- The Beach Boys became world-famous in the 1960s with hits such as "Good Vibrations", "Surfin' USA" and "I get around".
He was regarded as the visionary and creative genius of the legendary Beach Boys - now Brian Wilson has died at the age of 82. His family announced this on his website and via social media.
There were initially no further details, such as the cause of death. Wilson had a special flair for melodies, arrangements and artistic expression, which inspired him to write songs such as "Good Vibrations", "California Girls" and other summer hits and made him one of the most influential artists in the world.
Wilson was the eldest of three brothers who formed the core of the Beach Boys. Brian sang, played bass and keyboards, Carl, who died in 1998, played lead guitar and Dennis, who died in 1983, played drums.
"Pet Sounds" considered by many to be the "best pop album of the 20th century"
The Beach Boys are one of the most popular groups of the rock era, with more than 30 singles in the Top 40 and worldwide sales of more than 100 million dollars.
The album "Pet Sounds" from 1966 was voted number 2 in a Rolling Stone list of the 500 best albums in 2003, only behind "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by the Beatles. The Beach Boys, which also included Wilson's cousin Mike Love and his childhood friend Al Jardine, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Wilson was revered as a creative genius by many of his peers, from Elton John and Bruce Springsteen to Smokey Robinson and Carole King. The drummer of The Who, Keith Moon, dreamed of joining the Beach Boys. Paul McCartney once said that "Pet Sounds" was a direct inspiration for the Beatles and that the ballad "God Only Knows" was one of his favorite songs, which often moved him to tears.
Nervous breakdowns and drug abuse
The success of the Beach Boys and the self-imposed pressure of competing with the Beatles made things difficult for Wilson. The musician had nervous breakdowns, was addicted to pills, took hashish, LSD and at some point cocaine to increase his creativity.
At the same time, his fears set in: he was afraid of the sea, shied away from the beach and 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 and wrote 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 the comeback album "That's Why God Made the Radio" in 2012 and went on a sold-out world tour. Wilson's brothers Dennis and Carl, band members from the very beginning, died in 1983 and 1998 respectively.
Teacher for younger musicians
Wilson continued to move and fascinate fans and musicians long after he had stopped writing hits. In his later years, Wilson and a loyal band of younger musicians performed "Pet Sounds" and his restored work "Smile" in concert halls.
Wilson was a tall, shy man, partially deaf (allegedly due to beatings by his father Murry Wilson), with a crooked grin. He only really touched a surfboard when a photographer was around. But through the lifestyle in California and musical influences such as Chuck Berry and the Four Freshmen, he conjured up a world of sound that resonated for decades.
