The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson dead at 82

Brian Wilson, the man who wrote the soundtrack to summer for generations of music lovers, has died at the age of 82, his family announced Wednesday.

Wilson is one of the world’s most beloved and influential musicians. his family posted news of his death to his website Wednesday. The Beach Boys’ many hits include “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls” and “Surfin’ USA.” The eldest and last surviving of three musical brothers, he and his fellow Beach Boys rose from a local California act to national hitmakers to international ambassadors of the American dream. Wilson himself was celebrated for his beautiful music and agonizing perfectionism and pitied for the demons that plagued him

In 2024, it was revealed he was living with a disorder similar to dementia.

The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and Brian won two Grammys and the Beach Boys were honored in 2001 with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Brian Wilson is survived by his seven children and wife Melinda Ledbetter.