The Beach Boys musician, songwriter and producer Brian Wilson has passed away at 82, leaving behind an influential legacy in pop music. Renowned for classics like “Surfin’ USA,” “God Only Knows” and “Good Vibrations,” he transformed pop music with his innovative songwriting.
The Beach Boys formed in the early 1960s when Wilson invited his brothers Carl and Dennis, along with their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine, to rehearse a song he and Mike had written.
They became the only American band whose success rivalled the Beatles in the 1960s.
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The band’s early hits celebrated California’s surf culture, cars and girls, but the pressures of fame led Wilson to stop touring in 1964 to focus on writing, resulting in the acclaimed 1966 album Pet Sounds. The album was written and produced almost entirely by Wilson and is seen by many as one of the greatest pop albums of all time.
Despite his success, Wilson battled mental health issues and substance dependence. He withdrew from the public eye and returned only to the studio in the late 1990s. Wilson only started performing live again from 2004, and continued to tour until his late 70s.
After his death, many musicians posted tributes to Wilson, with Bob Dylan calling him a “genius” and Sean Lennon describing him as “our American Mozart.”
