Brian Wilson

As the main architect behind The Beach Boys' groundbreaking songwriting, layered vocal harmonies, and richly innovative productions, Brian Wilson became a rock & roll legend while still in his early 20s. He was born in Inglewood, California, on June 20, 1942, and co-founded The Beach Boys in 1961. A talented singer, composer, and instrumentalist, he penned hits like "Surfin' USA," "Good Vibrations," and "I Get Around," all of which positioned his band alongside The Beatles as one of the most innovative groups of the era. His first single as a solo artist, "Caroline, No," was released in 1966, followed several months later by The Beach Boys' platinum-selling masterpiece, Pet Sounds. Despite these successes, drug and mental health problems prompted Brian Wilson to retreat not only from the music business, but from the public eye for much of the late-'60s and 1970s. He re-appeared as a solo artist in 1988, but his self-titled debut album stalled at Number 52 on the Billboard charts. It follow-up, Sweet Insanity, was largely co-written with his controversial psychologist, Eugene Landy, and was rejected by his record company. Wilson continued to record throughout the 1990s, and as his health improved he effectively relaunched his career during the 2000s. Icons like Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Eric Clapton all appeared on his seventh solo album, 2004's Gettin' In Over My Head, and he returned later that year with Brian Wilson Presents Smile, a widely acclaimed that cracked the Top 20 in a dozen countries. Solo albums like 2005's What I Really Want for Christmas, 2008's That Lucky Old Sun, and 2011's In the Key of Disney followed, as well as a Beach Boys reunion album that found Brian Wilson sharing the stage with longtime bandmates like Mike Love and Al Jardine. Remaining prolific during his advancing age, he turned 79 in 2021, the same year that he released At My Piano as well as a soundtrack to the documentary Long Promised Road. After sold his publishing rights for $50 million to the Universal Music Group in 2021, Wilson played his final concert with band Chicago in Clarkston, Michigan, on July 26, 2022. The death of his second wife Melinda Leadbetter in January 2024 was followed by Wilson's on June 11, 2025, nine days before his 83rd birthday