Sir Paul McCartney praises Brian Wilson as a 'shining light and musical genius' as he pays heartfelt tribute to Beach Boys icon following his tragic death aged 82
Sir Paul McCartney has paid a moving tribute to Brian Wilson, following the Beach Boys co-founder's death aged 82.
The musical legend had been diagnosed with a neurocognitive disorder similar to dementia last year, with news of his sad passing announced by his children on his official Instagram page on Wednesday.
And on Thursday, Paul, 82, who performed with the late musician on A Friend Like You on Brian's 2004 solo album Gettin' In Over My Head, took to Instagram to remember his friend's 'musical genius'.
Sharing several throwback snaps of the duo together, including one of them backstage at 2009's Coachella, the Beatles star branded the legendary hitmaker a 'shining light' and lamented his loss.
He penned: 'Brian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special.
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'The notes he heard in his head and passed to us were simple and brilliant at the same time. I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while.
'How we will continue without Brian Wilson, 'God Only Knows'. Thank you, Brian.'
Paul has frequently shared his admiration for Brian, previously declaring the Beach Boys' 1966 hit God Only Knows as 'the greatest song ever written'.
Inducting Brian into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000, the Eleanor Rigby star admitted: 'It made me cry and I don't quite know why.'
'It wasn't necessarily the words or the music, it's just something so deep in it, that there's only certain pieces of music that can do this to me.
'I think it's a sign of great genius to be able to do that with a bunch of music and a bunch of notes. And this man, he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, that's for sure.'
While he has credited the Beach Boys' 1966 magnum opus Pet Sounds - which was produced, arranged, and primarily composed by Brian - as a profound influence on him and his writing.
He added that the album had inspired him to write more experimentally for the Beatles, leading to their own seminal album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the following year.
Speaking in In 1990, Paul gushed: 'First of all, it was Brian's writing. I love the album so much.
'I've just bought my kids each a copy of it for their education in life - I figure no one is educated musically 'til they've heard that album. I was into the writing and the songs.'
Brain shot to fame as the frontman of the Beach Boys, for which he served as the principal songwriter as well as the co-lead vocalist.
When news of his passing broke on Wednesday, his fans and famous friends rushed to social media to share their grief, including Elton John, who shared a throwback photo of them together.
The Your Song chart-topper penned: 'Brian Wilson was always so kind to me from the day I met him. He sang 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight' at a tribute concert in 2003, and it was an extraordinary moment for me. I played on his solo records, he sang on my album, The Union, and even performed for my AIDS Foundation.
'I grew to love him as a person, and for me, he was the biggest influence on my songwriting ever; he was a musical genius and revolutionary. He changed the goalposts when it came to writing songs and shaped music forever. A true giant.'
Fleetwood Mac legend Mick Fleetwood also paid tribute, writing: 'Anyone with a musical bone in their body must be grateful for Brian Wilson's genius magical touch !!
'And greatly saddened of this major worldly loss!! My thoughts go out to his family and friends Mick Fleetwood and the Fleetwood Mac Family.'
When news of his passing broke on Wednesday, his fans and famous friends rushed to social media to share their grief, including Elton John , who shared a throwback photo of them together
Sean Ono Lennon, the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, gushed: 'Anyone who really knows me knows how heart broken I am about Brian Wilson passing. Not many people influenced me as much as he did.
'I feel very lucky that I was able to meet him and spend some time with him. He was always very kind and generous. He was our American Mozart. A one of a kind genius from another world'.
Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones added his voice to the choir, tweeting: 'Oh no Brian Wilson and Sly Stone in one week ~ my world is in mourning so sad xx.'
His bandmate Keith Richards echoed: 'Rest in Peace, Brian Wilson!' alongside a passage of his memoir in which he gave an unfiltered appraisal of Brian's work.
'When we first got to America and to LA, there was a lot of Beach Boys on the radio, which was pretty funny to us – it was before Pet Sounds – it was hot rod songs and surfing songs, pretty lousily played, familiar Chuck Berry licks going on.
''Round, round get around / I get around,' I thought that was brilliant. It was latter on, listening to Pet Sounds, well, it's all a little bit overproduced for me, but Brian Wilson had something. 'In My Room,' 'Don't Worry Baby".
'I was more interested in their B-sides, the ones he slipped in. There was no particular correlation to what we were doing so I could just listen to it on another level. I thought these are very well-constructed songs.'
Beach Boys co-founder Al Jardine said in a statement: 'Brian Wilson, my friend, my classmate, my football teammate, my Beach Boy bandmate and my brother in spirit, I will always feel blessed that you were in our lives for as long as you were.'
'Rest in Peace, Brian Wilson!' wrote Keith Richards, sharing a passage of his memoir in which he gave an unfiltered appraisal of Wilson's work
'Anyone with a musical bone in their body must be grateful for Brian Wilson's genius magical touch !!' wrote Fleetwood Mac legend Mick Fleetwood
Tom Hanks took to Instagram on Wednesday night to pray tribute with a short poem in honor of the late musician
News of his death prompted an outpouring of grief from his fans, including Sean Ono Lennon, the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones added his voice to the choir, tweeting: 'Oh no Brian Wilson and Sly Stone in one week ~ my world is in mourning so sad xx'
'The Beach Boys set the stage for pop vocal groups,' began a post on the official X, formerly Twitter, account of the Backstreet Boys
He referenced Brian's late brothers and Beach Boys bandmates Carl and Dennis, who died respectively in 1998 and 1983, saying: 'I think the most comforting thought right now is that you are reunited with Carl and Dennis, singing those beautiful harmonies again'.
Al wrapped up with warm words for the iconic singer-songwriter, saying: 'You were a humble giant who always made me laugh and we will celebrate your music forever.'
'The Beach Boys set the stage for pop vocal groups,' began a post on the official X, formerly Twitter, account of the Backstreet Boys.
'The tight harmonies, infectious melodies and unmatched songwriting of Brian Wilson gave groups like us a blueprint for success and a legacy to aspire to. Our hearts go out to the family of Brian Wilson on this tragic day. Music has lost a pioneer and the world has lost a true legend.'
Micky Dolenz of the Monkees said: 'Brian Wilson was a musical and spiritual giant. His melodies shaped generations, & his soul resonated in every note. I was fortunate to know him; we all were blessed by his genius. Rest peacefully, Brian.'
Brian's survivors include his daughters Carnie, 57, and Wendy, 55, whom he had with his first wife Marilyn, as well as the five children he adopted with Melinda, who are called Dakota Rose, Daria Rose, Delanie Rose, Dylan and Dash.
His children announced Brian's death on his Instagram with what appeared to be a recent photo, writing: 'We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now.
'Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy.'
His children announced Brian's death on his Instagram with what appeared to be a recent photo, writing: 'We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now'
Over the course of the 1960s the group became one of the most beloved in America, releasing albums like Surfin' Safari, Surfin' U.S.A. and Surfer Girl (L-R: Dennis, David, Brian, Mike and Carl in 1962)
Brian formed the Beach Boys in 1961 with his brothers Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love and their friend Al Jardine.
The original name of the band was the Pendletones, and they exploded onto the scene with their 1961 song Surfin', written by Brian and Mike Love.
Over the course of the 1960s the group became one of the most beloved in America, releasing albums like Surfin' Safari, Surfin' U.S.A. and Surfer Girl.
Along with their pioneering musical style, the band also conjured up an intoxicating image of a carefree California lifestyle of sunshine, palm trees, blue jeans and sea air.
However Brian's involvement with the Beach Boys shifted dramatically when he suffered a nervous breakdown in 1964, followed by two more in the next couple of years.
He promptly withdrew from touring but retained his backstage control of the band as a writer and producer, masterminding Pet Sounds and providing lead vocals on many of the tracks, with the LP ultimately earning a reputation as one of the most acclaimed pop or rock albums ever created.
Brian plunged into heavy drug use during the 1960s, including LSD, and the combination of his mounting substance problem and psychological issues contributed to his increasing retreat from public life.
One of his symptoms was paranoid delusions, and he continued hearing voices in his head during the last decades of his life.
The last time Wilson was seen in public was last April, when he emerged looking frail in a wheelchair to attend a Los Angeles Lakers game
On the other hand, the psychedelics also served as creative fuel, with Wilson reportedly composing the music for one of the Beach Boys' most enduring singles, the 1966 release Good Vibrations, while tripping on LSD.
Pet Sounds, with its groundbreaking songs like God Only Knows and I Know There's An Answer, was also influenced by his experience with mind-altering substances.
By the mid-1970s, his drug use had expanded to include heroin and he became a recluse as his first marriage to singer Marilyn Rovell gradually crumbled.
With the help of therapy, however, he returned to the spotlight in 1976, touring with the Beach Boys again as the band's slogan trumpeted: 'Brian's Back!'
He slipped in and out of overeating and drugs, with repeated stints out of the public eye punctuated by triumphant comebacks.
By the 1990s, he was locked in feuds with a variety of his old collaborators over a string of issues including unpaid royalties and alleged defamation of them in his memoirs, which also prompted a lawsuit from his own mother.
He had begun embarking on a solo career in the 1980s, and continued through the 1990s amid his widening estrangement from the other Beach Boys.
However, by 2006, he and Al toured jointly for the 40th anniversary of Pet Sounds and by 2012, the latest iteration of the Beach Boys - now including Brian again - was back together for a 50th anniversary reunion tour.
That year, the Beach Boys also released their final studio album, That's Why God Made the Radio, which Brian produced to galloping commercial success.
Melinda, his second and final wife, married Brian in 1995, and he credited her as his 'savior' in his devastated statement on her death last year.
The couple gave a joint interview a decade ago in which Brian confessed that he was still plagued by auditory hallucinations.
'I have voices in my head,' he explained to Salon alongside his wife in 2015. 'Mostly it's derogatory. Some of it's cheerful. Most of it isn't.'
Last February, shortly after Melinda's death, Brian's family filed to obtain a conservatorship of him, announcing his diagnosis with a dementia-like condition.
They said he often made 'spontaneous irrelevant or incoherent utterances,' had a 'very short attention span and while unintentionally disruptive, is frequently unable to maintain decorum appropriate to the situation,' in documents obtained by The Blast.
Melinda, the family argued, had been attending to Brian's 'daily living needs' and her absence had left him 'unable to properly provide for his own personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter.'
The last time Brian was seen in public was April 2024, when he emerged looking frail in a wheelchair to attend a Los Angeles Lakers game.
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