The Beach Boys Star and Co-Founder, Brian Wilson, Dies at 82

Bri­an Wil­son, Co-Founder of The Beach Boys, Dies at 82

Bri­an Wil­son, the musi­cal genius behind many of America’s most beloved sum­mer anthems and co-founder of The Beach Boys, passed away on June 11, 2025, at age 82. His chil­dren shared the heart­break­ing news on his offi­cial Insta­gram, ask­ing for pri­va­cy as they mourn. “We are heart­bro­ken… please respect our pri­va­cy,” they wrote, rec­og­niz­ing the glob­al impact of his music.

Wilson’s death fol­lows the loss of his wife, Melin­da Led­bet­ter, who passed away on Jan­u­ary 30, 2024. Bri­an had called her his “sav­ior” and “anchor,” cred­it­ing her for giv­ing him strength. The cou­ple mar­ried in 1995 after rekin­dling their romance and adopt­ed five chil­dren togeth­er. Wil­son also has two daugh­ters from a pre­vi­ous mar­riage.

Known for hits like God Only Knows, Good Vibra­tions, and Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Wil­son leaves behind a last­ing musi­cal lega­cy. He and Melin­da are remem­bered not only for their love sto­ry, but also for their devo­tion to fam­i­ly and music.