Brian Wilson

This article is about the musician. For the ballplayer, see Brian Wilson (baseball).

Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter and singer. He was born in Inglewood, California.

Brian Wilson
Wilson in 1990
Background information
Birth name	Brian Douglas Wilson
Born	(1942-06-20)June 20, 1942 Inglewood, California, U.S.
Origin	Hawthorne, California, U.S.
Died	June 11, 2025(2025-06-11) (aged 82) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Genres	Rock pop
Occupation(s)	Musician singer songwriter record producer
Instruments	Vocals keyboards bass
Years active	1961–2022
Labels	Capitol Brother Reprise Caribou CBS Sire Giant Nonesuch Walt Disney
Formerly of	The Beach Boys California Music Hale & the Hushabyes Kenny & the Cadets The Survivors
Spouse(s)	Marilyn Rovell ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1979)​ Melinda Ledbetter ​ ​ (m. 1995; died 2024)​
Website	brianwilson.com
Signature

He was a founding member of The Beach Boys, although he was largely separate from the band from the 1970s until 2011. He played bass, sang, and wrote songs for them. In the 1970s and 80s, Wilson struggled with drug problems and eating too much. In the 1980s and 90s, he began a solo career.

He was a Kennedy Center honoree in 2007. In 2011, Wilson reunited with The Beach Boys.

Wilson had bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder.^[1] In 2024, it was revealed that Wilson had a "dementia-like disorder".^[2]

Wilson died on June 11, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California from respiratory arrest caused by sepsis and cystitis at the age of 82.^[3][4] He had health problems caused by long COVID.^[5]