Brian Wilson, the songwriter and producer who transformed the Beach Boys into America's most commercially successful rock group of the 1960s, has died at age 82, The Washington Post reported.
Wilson's family confirmed his death through his official website but provided no additional details. His extraordinary catalog of hits, including "Surfin' USA," "I Get Around," "Don't Worry Baby," and "California Girls," established the Beach Boys' signature sound that captured California's idealized surf culture.
Wilson's creative genius culminated in the groundbreaking 1966 album "Pet Sounds", which music critics widely regard as rock's first concept album. The record's innovative production techniques profoundly influenced The Beatles' creation of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" the following year.
The Beach Boys formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California, when Wilson joined his brothers Dennis and Carl, cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Their debut single "Surfin'" earned immediate success, leading Capitol Records to sign them as the label's first rock act. The group achieved 36 Billboard Top 40 entries over 36 years, unmatched by any American band.
The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and Wilson received Kennedy Center Honors in 2007. His influence extended to numerous indie rock bands, with The New Yorker calling him "indie rock's muse."
"Pet Sounds" represented Wilson's artistic peak, incorporating unconventional sounds like bicycle bells and car horns into a cohesive narrative. Paul McCartney called its "God Only Knows" "the greatest pop song ever written." Born June 20, 1942, in Inglewood, California, Wilson showed early musical talent, writing his first song at age five.
Wilson spent years under controversial psychologist Eugene Landy, who was later stripped of his license after charging Wilson more than $3 million. His life stabilized after his 1995 marriage to Melinda Ledbetter, who became his manager and with whom he had five children before her death in 2024.
