Brian Wilson, Beach Boys creative genius, dead at age 82
Brian Wilson, the genius behind sunny Beach Boys songs that helped define popular music in the ’60s, has died.
Beach Boys founding member Brian Wilson‘s cause of death at 82 has been released.
The music icon, who helped define the Southern California surf-rock sound in the 1960s, died after experiencing several minutes of respiratory arrest on the morning of June 11 in his Beverly Hills, California, home, according to a death certificate obtained by USA TODAY June 30. Respiratory arrest occurs when a person stops breathing.
Several hours of sepsis, which is a life-threatening bodily response to an infection, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and days of cystitis, or a bladder infection, were mentioned as contributing causes.
He also had a neurodegenerative disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic respiratory failure and chronic kidney disease.
Wilson was cremated and buried at a cemetery in the Westwood neighborhood, home to UCLA.
TMZ was first to report the news on June 26.
The day he died, his family announced his death on social media without citing a cause.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” the caption read. “We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy.”
Brian Wilson was under a conservatorship prior to his death
Wilson is survived by his daughters from his first marriage, Carnie and Wendy, who achieved success as part of Wilson Phillips.
“I have no words to express the sadness I feel right now,” wrote Carnie Wilson in a heartfelt tribute on Instagram. “I am lucky to have been his daughter and had a soul connection with him that will live on always. I’ve never felt this kind of pain before, but I know he’s resting up there in heaven … or maybe playing the piano for Grandma Audree, his Mom.”
He’s also survived by his five adopted children from his second marriage to Melinda Ledbetter.
Brian Wilson was placed under a conservatorship in 2024.
Wilson was taking medication for dementia, according to a doctor’s declaration filed with longtime manager LeeAnn Hard and publicist Jean Sievers’ petition for conservatorship. He was “unable to properly provide for his own personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter,” the petition claimed.
His wife, Melinda Ledbetter, died at 77 years old in January 2024.
Contributing: Marco della Cava and Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
