Latest news with #MelindaWilson
CNA
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson dies at age 82, leaves legacy of musical brilliance and personal struggle
Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson, the musical genius behind iconic tracks like Good Vibrations and God Only Knows, has died at the age of 82, his family announced on Wednesday (Jun 11). Wilson's death was confirmed in a statement on his official website, which read: 'We are at a loss for words right now. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.' The cause of death was not disclosed, though Wilson had suffered from dementia and was placed under conservatorship after the death of his wife, Melinda, in early 2024. A LEGACY OF HARMONY AND HEARTBREAK From 1961, the Beach Boys released a string of hits that celebrated the lifestyle of California youth – surfing, cars and summer romance. Wilson, the band's primary creative force, was responsible for arranging the group's ethereal harmonies, a hallmark of their sound. He founded the band in Hawthorne, California, with his brothers Carl and Dennis, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. Together, they achieved 36 Top 40 hits, with Wilson writing and composing most of the early tracks. Their discography includes timeless songs such as Surfin' USA; California Girls; Little Deuce Coupe; Fun, Fun, Fun and Help Me, Rhonda. But Wilson's personal life was fraught with hardship. He endured an abusive father, severe mental health issues and substance abuse problems that led to long periods of seclusion. 'I've lived a very, very difficult, haunted life,' Wilson told the Washington Post in 2007. CREATIVE PEAK AND INTERNAL STRUGGLES Wilson suffered his first mental breakdown in 1966 and began focusing more on studio work. During this time, he composed and produced Pet Sounds, a record that later became known as his magnum opus. Although initially met with mixed reactions in the United States, Pet Sounds has since been recognised as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. Paul McCartney cited it as a major influence on the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Wilson also composed Good Vibrations during the Pet Sounds sessions. Though it was not included in the album, it became the Beach Boys' most celebrated single. Art Garfunkel reportedly called Paul Simon to say, 'I think I just heard the greatest, most creative record of them all.' DECLINE AND UNUSUAL THERAPY Wilson's mental health continued to deteriorate in the 1970s and 1980s. He was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder with auditory hallucinations. He became increasingly reclusive, with accounts describing him lying in bed for days, struggling with hygiene and exhibiting erratic behaviour. His then-wife Marilyn enlisted psychotherapist Eugene Landy, whose unorthodox and highly controlling methods eventually led to legal intervention. Wilson's family took him to court in 1992 to end the relationship. Landy relinquished his psychology licence after admitting to unlawfully prescribing drugs. Wilson said Landy had saved his life but later called him manipulative. LATE RECOGNITION AND FINAL YEARS Wilson returned to music sporadically, with his post-comeback work rarely matching the acclaim of his early career. In 2004, he released Brian Wilson Presents Smile, a long-delayed project that had originally been scrapped due to internal band conflicts. In 2012, Wilson reunited with surviving Beach Boys members for a 50th anniversary tour. Although tensions remained, Wilson participated in several shows before reportedly being dismissed, a claim denied by Mike Love. His final live performance was in 2022. Wilson's life was portrayed in the 2014 biopic Love & Mercy. He had two daughters, Carnie and Wendy, from his first marriage to Marilyn. The daughters later found success in the 1990s with the pop group Wilson Phillips. He and his second wife Melinda adopted five children. In May 2024, a judge approved placing Wilson under conservatorship, citing his inability to care for himself following Melinda's death. Despite his struggles, Wilson's contribution to music remains indelible, and his work continues to influence artists across generations.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson dies at age 82
Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson, who created some of rock's most enduring songs such as "Good Vibrations" and "God Only Knows" in a career that was marked by a decades-long battle between his musical genius, drug abuse and mental health issues, has died at the age of 82. Wilson's family announced his death in a statement on the singer's website. "We are at a loss for words right now," the statement said. "We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world." The statement did not disclose a cause of death. Wilson had suffered from dementia and was unable to care for himself after his wife Melinda Wilson died in early 2024, prompting his family to put him under conservatorship. Starting in 1961, the Beach Boys put out a string of sunny hits celebrating the touchstones of California youth culture — surfing, cars and romance. But what made the songs special were the ethereal harmonies that Wilson arranged and that would become the band's lasting trademark. Wilson formed the band with younger brothers Carl and Dennis, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine in their hometown, the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne. They went on to have 36 Top 40 hits, with Wilson writing and composing most of the early works. Songs such as "Little Deuce Coupe," "Surfin' U.S.A.," "California Girls," "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "Help Me, Rhonda" remain instantly recognizable and eminently danceable. The music group The Beach Boys are shown in this undated photograph. From left: Mike Love, Al Jardine, Carl Wilson and Brian Wilson. | REUTERS But there were plenty of bad vibrations in Wilson's life: an abusive father, a cornucopia of drugs, a series of mental breakdowns, long periods of seclusion and depression and voices in his head that, even when he was on stage, told him he was no good. "I've lived a very, very difficult, haunted life," Wilson told the Washington Post in 2007. In May 2024, a judge ruled the 81-year-old Wilson should be put under a conservatorship after two longtime associates had petitioned the court at his family's request, saying he could not care for himself following the death of his wife, Melinda. By 1966 touring had already become an ordeal for Wilson, who suffered what would be his first mental breakdown. He remained the Beach Boys' mastermind but retreated to the studio to work, usually without his bandmates, on "Pet Sounds," a symphonic reflection on the loss of innocence. The landmark "Good Vibrations" was recorded during those sessions, though it did not make it on to the album. Though "Pet Sounds" included hits such as "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Sloop John B" and "God Only Knows," it was not an immediate commercial success in the United States. There also was resistance to the album within the band, especially from singer Love, who wanted to stick with the proven money-making sound. 'It's like falling in love' "Pet Sounds," which was released in 1966, later would come to be recognized as Wilson's magnum opus. Paul McCartney said it was an influence on the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." "No one's musical education is complete until they've heard 'Pet Sounds,'" McCartney said. In 2012 Rolling Stone magazine ranked it second only to "Sgt. Pepper" on its list of the 500 greatest rock albums. "Hearing 'Pet Sounds' gave me the kind of feeling that raises the hairs on the back of your neck and you say, 'What is that? It's fantastic,'" George Martin, the Beatles' legendary producer, said in the liner notes of a reissued version of the album. "It's like falling in love." Released as a single that same year, "Good Vibrations" drew similar plaudits. On hearing the song that would become the Beach Boys' greatest hit, Art Garfunkel called his musical partner Paul Simon to say: "I think I just heard the greatest, most creative record of them all." The band went on to sell 100 million records. Wilson's career would be derailed, though, as his use of LSD, cocaine and alcohol became untenable and his mental state, which would eventually be diagnosed as schizoaffective disorder with auditory hallucinations, grew shakier. He became a recluse, lying in bed for days, abandoning hygiene, growing obese and sometimes venturing out in a bathrobe and slippers. He had a sandbox installed in his dining room and put his piano there. He also heard voices and was afraid that the lyrics of one of his songs were responsible for a series of fires in Los Angeles. Unorthodox therapy Born in June 1942, Brian Wilson, whose life was the subject of the 2014 movie "Love & Mercy," had two controlling men in his life. The first was his father, Murry Wilson, a part-time songwriter who recognized his son's musical talent early. He became the Beach Boys' manager and producer in their early years but also was physically and verbally abusive toward them. The band fired him in 1964. About a decade later, as Wilson floundered, his then-wife, Marilyn, hired psychotherapist Eugene Landy to help him. Landy spent 14 months with Wilson, using unusual methods such as promising him a cheeseburger if he wrote a song, before being dismissed. Landy was rehired in 1983 after Wilson went through another period of disturbing behavior that included overdosing, living in a city park and running up substantial debt. Landy used a 24-hour-a-day technique, which involved prescribing psychotropic drugs and padlocking the refrigerator, and eventually held sway over all aspects of Wilson's life, including serving as producer and co-writer of his music when he made a comeback with a 1988 solo album. Beach Boys members Brian Wilson, David Marks, Bruce Johnston, Al Jardine and Mike Love appeared together for the first time in 10 years on the rooftop of Capitol Records in Los Angeles in 2006. | REUTERS Wilson's family went to court to end his relationship with Landy in 1992. Wilson said Landy had saved his life but also would later call him manipulative. California medical regulators accused Landy, who died in 2006, of improper involvement with a patient's affairs. He gave up his psychology license after admitting to unlawfully prescribing drugs. Wilson's return to music was spotty. He appeared frail, tentative and shaky and none of the post-comeback work brought anything close to the acclaim of his earlier catalog. One of the best-received albums of his second act was the 2004 "Brian Wilson Presents Smile," a revisiting of the work that had been intended as the followup to "Pet Sounds" but which was scrapped because of opposition from bandmates. Wilson's brothers had both died by the time of the Beach Boys' 50th reunion tour in 2012 but he joined Love, who became the band's controlling force, for several shows. At the end, Wilson said he felt as if he had been fired but Love denied it. Wilson last performed live in 2022. Wilson and his first wife, Marilyn, had two daughters, Carnie and Wendy, who had hits in the 1990s as part of the group Wilson Phillips. He and second wife Melinda, whom he met when she sold him a car, had five children.
CNA
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson dies at age 82, leaves legacy of musical brilliance and personal struggle
LOS ANGELES: Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson, the musical genius behind iconic tracks like "Good Vibrations" and "God Only Knows," has died at the age of 82, his family announced on Wednesday (Jun 11). Wilson's death was confirmed in a statement on his official website, which read: 'We are at a loss for words right now. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.' The cause of death was not disclosed, though Wilson had suffered from dementia and was placed under conservatorship after the death of his wife, Melinda, in early 2024. A LEGACY OF HARMONY AND HEARTBREAK From 1961, the Beach Boys released a string of hits that celebrated the lifestyle of California youth — surfing, cars and summer romance. Wilson, the band's primary creative force, was responsible for arranging the group's ethereal harmonies, a hallmark of their sound. He founded the band in Hawthorne, California, with his brothers Carl and Dennis, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. Together, they achieved 36 Top 40 hits, with Wilson writing and composing most of the early tracks. Their discography includes timeless songs such as "Surfin' U.S.A.", "California Girls", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "Help Me, Rhonda". But Wilson's personal life was fraught with hardship. He endured an abusive father, severe mental health issues, and substance abuse problems that led to long periods of seclusion. 'I've lived a very, very difficult, haunted life,' Wilson told the Washington Post in 2007. Wilson suffered his first mental breakdown in 1966 and began focusing more on studio work. During this time, he composed and produced "Pet Sounds", a record that later became known as his magnum opus. Although initially met with mixed reactions in the United States, "Pet Sounds" has since been recognised as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. Paul McCartney cited it as a major influence on the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Wilson also composed "Good Vibrations" during the "Pet Sounds" sessions. Though it was not included in the album, it became the Beach Boys' most celebrated single. Art Garfunkel reportedly called Paul Simon to say, 'I think I just heard the greatest, most creative record of them all.' DECLINE AND UNUSUAL THERAPY Wilson's mental health continued to deteriorate in the 1970s and 1980s. He was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder with auditory hallucinations. He became increasingly reclusive, with accounts describing him lying in bed for days, struggling with hygiene, and exhibiting erratic behaviour. His then-wife Marilyn enlisted psychotherapist Eugene Landy, whose unorthodox and highly controlling methods eventually led to legal intervention. Wilson's family took him to court in 1992 to end the relationship. Landy relinquished his psychology licence after admitting to unlawfully prescribing drugs. Wilson said Landy had saved his life but later called him manipulative. LATE RECOGNITION AND FINAL YEARS Wilson returned to music sporadically, with his post-comeback work rarely matching the acclaim of his early career. In 2004, he released "Brian Wilson Presents Smile", a long-delayed project that had originally been scrapped due to internal band conflicts. In 2012, Wilson reunited with surviving Beach Boys members for a 50th anniversary tour. Although tensions remained, Wilson participated in several shows before reportedly being dismissed, a claim denied by Mike Love. His final live performance was in 2022. Wilson's life was portrayed in the 2014 biopic "Love & Mercy". He had two daughters, Carnie and Wendy, from his first marriage to Marilyn. The daughters later found success in the 1990s with the pop group Wilson Phillips. He and his second wife Melinda adopted five children. In May 2024, a judge approved placing Wilson under conservatorship, citing his inability to care for himself following Melinda's death. Despite his struggles, Wilson's contribution to music remains indelible, and his work continues to influence artists across generations.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
Beach Boys visionary leader Brian Wilson dies at age 82
Brian Wilson, the singer-songwriter who co-created the iconic Beach Boys rock band, has died, his family said in a statement. He was 82. 'We are at a loss for words right now,' the statement said. 'We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.' The statement did not disclose a cause of death. Wilson had suffered from dementia and was unable to care for himself after his wife Melinda Wilson died in early 2024, prompting his family to put him under conservatorship. Wilson's genius for melody, arrangements and wide-eyed self-expression inspired the songs Good Vibrations, California Girls, and other summertime anthems, making him one of the world's most influential recording artists. 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 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. The Beach Boys rank among 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. The 1966 album Pet Sounds was voted number two in a 2003 Rolling Stone list of the best 500 albums, losing out, as Wilson had done before, to the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The Beach Boys, who also featured Wilson cousin Mike Love and childhood friend Al Jardine, were voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Wilson feuded with Love over songwriting credits, but peers otherwise adored him beyond envy, from Elton John and Bruce Springsteen to Smokey Robinson and Carole King. The Who's drummer, Keith Moon, fantasised about joining the Beach Boys. Paul McCartney cited Pet Sounds as a direct inspiration on the Beatles and the Wilson ballad God Only Knows as among his favorite songs, often bringing him to tears. Wilson moved and fascinated fans and musicians long after he stopped having hits. In his later years, he and a devoted entourage of younger musicians performed Pet Sounds and his restored opus, Smile, before worshipful crowds in concert halls. Meanwhile, The Go-Go's, Lindsey Buckingham, Animal Collective and Janelle Monae were among a wide range of artists who emulated him, whether as a master of crafting pop music or as a pioneer of pulling it apart. The Beach Boys' music was like an ongoing party, with Wilson as host and wallflower. He was a tall, shy man, partially deaf (allegedly because of beatings by his father, Murry Wilson), with a sweet, crooked grin, and he rarely touched a surfboard unless a photographer was around. But out of the lifestyle that he observed and such musical influences as Chuck Berry and the Four Freshmen, he conjured a golden soundscape – sweet melodies, shining harmonies, vignettes of beaches, cars and girls – that resonated across time and climates. Decades after its first release, a Beach Boys song can still conjure instant summer – the wake-up guitar riff that opens Surfin' USA; the melting vocals of Don't Worry Baby; the chants of 'fun, fun, fun' or 'good, good, GOOD, good vibrations'; the behind-the-wheel chorus ''round, round, get around, I get around.' Beach Boys songs have endured from turntables and transistor radios to boom boxes and iPhones, or any device that could lay on a beach towel or be placed upright in the sand. The band's innocent appeal survived the group's increasingly troubled back story, including Brian's many personal trials, the feuds and lawsuits among band members and the alcoholism of Dennis Wilson, who drowned in 1983. Brian Wilson's ambition raised the Beach Boys beyond the pleasures of their early hits and into a world transcendent, eccentric and destructive. They seemed to live out every fantasy, and many nightmares, of the California myth they helped create. Brian Wilson was born June 20, 1942, two days after McCartney. His musical gifts were soon obvious, and as a boy, he was playing piano and teaching his brothers to sing harmony. The Beach Boys started as a neighbourhood act, rehearsing in Brian's bedroom and in the garage of their house in suburban Hawthorne, California. Surf music, mostly instrumental in its early years, was catching on locally: Dennis Wilson, the group's only real surfer, suggested they cash in. Brian and Love hastily wrote up their first single, Surfin', a minor hit released in 1961. Their breakthrough came in early 1963 with Surfin' USA, so closely modelled on Berry's Sweet Little Sixteen that Berry successfully sued to get a songwriting credit. It was the Beach Boys' first Top 10 hit and a boast to the nation: 'If everybody had an ocean / across the USA / then everybody'd be surfin,' / like Cali-for-nye-ay.' From 1963-66, they were rarely off the charts, hitting number one with the songs I Get Around and Help Me, Rhonda and narrowly missing with California Girls and Fun, Fun, Fun. For television appearances, they wore candy-striped shirts and grinned as they mimed their latest hit, with a hot rod or surfboard nearby. Wilson won just two competitive Grammys, for the solo instrumental 'Mrs. O'Leary's Cow' and for 'The Smile Sessions' box set. Otherwise, his honors ranged from a Grammy lifetime achievement prize to a tribute at the Kennedy Center to induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2018, he returned to his old high school in Hawthorne and witnessed the literal rewriting of his past: The principal erased an 'F' he had been given in music and awarded him an 'A.'
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Inside Brian Wilson's tragic health battle that left Beach Boys rock icon ‘unable to feed or clothe himself'
HEALTH BATTLE The musical icon has died at 82 BRIAN Wilson's tragic health battle left the Beach Boys icon "unable to feed or clothe himself." It was revealed in early 2024 that he had been living with a degenerative disorder similar to dementia. 3 3 The celebrated songwriter, responsible for Beach Boys hits including Surfin' USA, Surfer Girl, and I Get Around, died aged 82. Last year, the musician's family sought to place him under a conservatorship, noting he was 'unable to properly provide for his own personal needs for physical health.' Following the death of his beloved wife Melinda his family believed he no longer had the capacity to provide proper consent to the administration of medications. In a statement, they shared the extent of his battle with the disorder and said the conservatorship would help keep him properly cared for. It read: "Following the passing of Brian's beloved wife Melinda, after careful consideration and consultation among Brian, his seven children, [housekeeper] Gloria Ramos and Brian's doctors (and consistent with family processes put in place by Brian and Melinda), "We are confirming that longtime Wilson family representatives LeeAnn Hard and Jean Sievers will serve as Brian's co-conservators' Celebrated as a spectacular songwriter, Wilson was responsible for initial successes including Surfin' USA, Surfer Girl, and I Get Around. Other famous tunes include All Summer Long, Don't Worry Baby, and California Girls. Following Wilson's death on Wednesday his family wrote: '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. Music video for iconic Beach Boys song Good Vibrations "We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy.' Born in Inglewood, California, Wilson formed the band - first called the Pendletones - as a teenager with his brothers Dennis and Carl. He was the eldest and last surviving of the trio. Their first song, Surfin', was released by Candix Records. The record label changed the band's name without their permission to play to the band's laid back, surfer sound. A year later, they signed with Capitol and released their debut album, Surfin' Safari. The Beach Boys rocketed to fame during the 1960s, going from local California band to national hitmakers - and international ambassadors of surf and sun. Their 1966 album Pet Sounds was voted No. 2 in Rolling Stone's list of the best 500 albums in 2003. As much as Wilson had a gift, he also had demons. He was tormented by his obsession with achieving perfection. Brian played bass, Carl lead guitar and Dennis was on drums. Celebs have clamoured to pay tribute to the musician, whose music was held dear by so many. Broadcaster Piers Morgan wrote: "RIP Brian Wilson, 82. "Co-creator of the Beach Boys, and the man who wrote one of the greatest pop songs in history, God Only Knows, when he was just 23. "A complex man but a musical genius and showbusiness icon. What a legacy he leaves." Ronnie Wood, guitarist for the Rolling Stones, wrote: "Oh no Brian Wilson and Sly Stone in one week - my world is in mourning [...] so sad." The Beach Boys inspired acts on both sides of the Atlantic, with the likes of Sir Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Carole King revering their work.
