The Beach Boys’ musical genius Brian Wilson, one of the most significant people in the history of pop, has died at the age of 82. On Wednesday, his family announced the news in an emotional statement but did not give a cause of death. Last year, a “major neurocognitive disorder” placed Wilson under a legal conservatorship.
The family wrote that they do not have words at this moment. We understand that we are not grieving alone with the world.
The Producer of the California Sound
Brian Wilson, who did not even surf, defined the sound of the California dream more than anyone who ever caught the waves. A lifelong surfer, Wilson and The Beach Boys created the soundtrack of the sun-drenched optimism of the 1960s with such classic songs as “Surfin’ USA,” “I Get Around,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” and “Surfer Girl,” and became the American counterpoint to The Beatles.
But it was not only catchy but revolutionary as Brian Wilson wrote his songs. His music was more than surf pop due to layered harmonies, emotion, and experimentation. It turned into a movement; even the icons became aware of it. Bob Dylan once told Newsweek, “That ear—I mean, Jesus, he ought to will that to the Smithsonian!” Dylan made a tribute to him on X on Wednesday, describing all the years he had been listening to him and admiring his genius.
Genius and Black
Brian Wilson had his creative apex early. Within five brief years, he wrote more than 200 songs that reflected an idyllic California youth. However, the stress of celebrity and personal demons sent him into a downward journey of drugs and madness that lasted through the late 1960s and most of the 1970s.
For decades, Wilson was largely absent from the public eye. But in a remarkable turn, he returned to complete Smile—the long-shelved album once considered a lost masterpiece—over 35 years later.
Though the man is gone, Brian Wilson’s music lives on in beach radios, film soundtracks, and the hearts of millions. He didn’t just write hits—he scored a generation’s dreams. Rest in peace, Brian Wilson. The surf will always be up in your honor.
