Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys’ visionary and fragile leader whose genius for melody, arrangements and wide-eyed self-expression inspired “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls” and other summertime anthems that made him one of the world’s most influential recording artists, has died at 82.
Wilson’s family posted news of his death to his website and social media accounts Wednesday. Further details weren’t immediately available.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” Wilson’s family wrote. “We are at a loss for words right now.”
“Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving,” the statement continued. “We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.”
The message signed off with phrase “Love & Mercy,” which was the title track of Wilson’s debut solo album that came out in 1988. It was also the name of the 2014 biopic in which Wilson was played by John Cusack and Paul Dano at different stages of his life.
The eldest and last surviving of three musical brothers — Brian played bass, Carl lead guitar and Dennis drums — he and his fellow Beach Boys rose in the 1960s from local California band to national hitmakers to international ambassadors of surf and sun.
Wilson himself was celebrated for his gifts and pitied for his demons. He was one of rock’s great romantics, a tormented man who in his peak years embarked on an ever-steeper path to aural perfection, the one true sound.
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