Farewell, Brian Wilson

The world has lost one of the greats of the pop music pantheon

Brian Wilson, the visionary co-founder of the Beach Boys and a towering figure in 20th-century music, has died at 82.

His profound influence on pop music, both as a songwriter and a studio innovator, cemented his place among the greatest musical minds of the 1960s and beyond.

Born in Inglewood, California, in 1942, Wilson formed the Beach Boys with his brothers Dennis and Carl, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. Their early hits including Surfin’ USA and California Girls captured the sun-soaked spirit of Southern California, but it was Wilson’s ambition and artistry that soon propelled the band into new creative territory.

Wilson’s magnum opus, Pet Sounds (1966), redefined what pop music could be. With its lush orchestration, emotional depth and innovative production techniques, the album inspired contemporaries such as Paul McCartney, who called God Only Knows his favourite Beach Boys song. Wilson’s studio experimentation — treating the recording process itself as an instrument — ushered in a new era of sonic exploration.

His follow-up project, SMiLE, was shelved for decades amid personal struggles, but its eventual release in 2004 was hailed as a masterpiece of psychedelic pop. Wilson’s solo career, including the album No Pier Pressure (2015), further showcased his enduring creativity.

Despite lifelong battles with mental illness and periods of reclusion, Wilson’s musical genius never dimmed. His work influenced generations of artists, from Bruce Springsteen to Weezer, and earned him two Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

His legacy is not only in the hits but in the emotional honesty and sonic daring that continue to resonate across decades.

Wilson’s passing marks the end of an era, but his music remains timeless — a testament to the power of vulnerability, imagination and the boundless possibilities of pop.

Sources: EW, Far Out, Pitchfork, WJACTV

Photo by Ithaka Darin Pappas/ Creative Commons. Cropped for horizontal presentation.