Brian Wilson, the musical genius who founded the Beach Boys, dies

American musician, songwriter, and producer, and founding member of The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, has died at the age of 82, his children announced on Facebook. " We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father, Brian Wilson, has passed away. We are at a loss for words at this time. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family grieves. We understand that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love and Mercy," they wrote on the social network.

The Californian artist, one of the greatest creative forces in popular music of all time, leaves a huge void despite his retirement. He is among the musicians who left behind the most and best immortal anthems, including the legendary "Good Vibrations," "Surfin' USA," "Barbara Ann," "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "California Girls," and "God Only Knows," considered by Paul McCartney to be the most beautiful song ever written. American culture cannot be understood without its melodies, and the history of pop would not be the same without his brilliant and incomparable contributions in composition, production, and performance.

Born in Inglewood, Wilson formed the Pendletones with his brothers Dennis and Carl, his cousin Mike Love, and his high school friend Al Jardine when they were still kids. Seeing that surfing was beginning to take off as a craze on the West Coast, they officially debuted in 1961 with the single "Surfin'," through Candix Records, which renamed them the Beach Boys without their permission, and without them knowing that they had been given the favor of their lives: the release was an immediate success, the band's name spread by word of mouth, and a year later they released their debut album, "Surfin' Safari," with Capitol Records.

Riding the wave, a few months later they released their second album, 'Surfin' USA' , whose eponymous single became their first Top 10 hit in the United States. In 1963, they released two more albums, 'Surfer Girl' and 'Little Deuce Coupe', with which they toured the country to the point of exhaustion. It was then that Brian decided to stop touring with the Beach Boys after suffering a panic attack while traveling by plane.

From that moment on, he would stay home composing, while his brothers would continue with the concerts. And so the necessary conditions were created for the creation of one of the most important albums in history, 'Pet Sounds'. Working alongside the virtuosos of the Wrecking Crew , the most famous collective of session musicians in the country, he shaped an album so advanced for its time that it was received lukewarmly by audiences and critics alike when it was released in 1966. But over time, it would be considered one of the great masterpieces of the decade, and in 2004 it was inducted into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress for its enormous cultural impact.

Brian attempted to follow up his discovery with another experimental album called 'Smile', but his mental health deteriorated with the help of drugs, to the point that the project was aborted due to constant interruptions in the recording process. The resulting slide into depression ended with his admission to a psychiatric hospital in 1968 , after which he briefly stepped away from music to work as the manager of a health food store called Radiant Radish.

When he returned to the music business in the early 1970s, he spiraled into addiction, to such a degree that his family forced him to hire a psychologist with controversial methods , Eugene Landy, who subjected him to abusive treatment. Meanwhile, the Beach Boys continued to release albums, without success that would never return. Furthermore, in 1982, Landy removed him from the band to undergo intensive treatment and monitor his financial and creative activities, which led to the release of an eponymous solo album in 1988. But Brian's family, desperate with his physical and mental decline, decided to fire Landy in 1992, and even managed to obtain a restraining order against Wilson.

By the turn of the century, Brian's health had stabilized, allowing him to record several solo albums and even an album of original material with the Beach Boys, 'That's Why God Made the Radio', which received critical acclaim and led them to tour around the world with considerable success, including several stops in Spain.

Early 2024 saw the start of Brian's final decline following the death of his wife, Melinda Ledbetter. His dementia accelerated severely, and in May, a Los Angeles judge ordered him to remain under a guardianship to manage his personal and medical decisions due to what his doctor described as a "significant neurocognitive disorder." A sad end for one of the most unforgettable, brilliant, and influential musicians of the 20th century.

"Brian Wilson managed to maintain interest in his music until his very last day," says Antonio Arias, adding his tribute to this obituary. "He endowed American culture with a credibility and dignity that has inspired every artist on the planet. The magician, the alchemist, the madman has died. Three cards have been lost from the deck of creation. We have very few left."