Brian Wilson: Farewell to the Soul of the Beach Boys

Few musicians command a studio like a spaceship. Music is primarily thought of as sound architecture, but there are those who recognise in it a force of transport, or even of creating environments, zones, worlds. At the front of the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson seemed like an alien exiled on a strange planet, suffering from amnesia and incapable of exploring his condition through any language other than music. It shouldn't be possible to make hits like he did, bending the laws of pop to the point of constructing such subtle, fantastical and free plots. And all of this hurt by a rare nostalgia for a place that is difficult to glimpse. As if the music itself were the recovery of a childhood in another world. 'Good Vibrations' has not aged a second, it is one of the great musical achievements of the 20th century, and was played on every radio station, proving the genius of that boy who transcended the laid-back surf genre to create complex harmonies and soundscapes as varied as they are intense and intricate in the studio. «Those ears he has. "My God, he's got to leave them to the Smithsonian," Bob Dylan told Newsweek in 1997. Pet Sounds is now considered a masterpiece and one of the most influential albums of all time, having inspired the Beatles. Wilson, who struggled with serious mental health problems and drug addiction throughout his life, died on Wednesday, June 11, at the age of 82.

The news was confirmed by the family on the musician's official website. "We are at a loss for words. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving. We are aware that we are sharing our pain with the world," the statement read. The cause of death was not disclosed.

The band also shared a statement on social media. “The world mourns the passing of a genius today, and we mourn the passing of our cousin, friend and partner in our great musical adventure,” the statement begins. “Brian Wilson was not only the heart of The Beach Boys – he was the soul of our music. The melodies he dreamed up and the emotion he put into every note changed the course of music forever. His unparalleled talent and unique spirit created the soundtrack to so many lives around the world, including ours,” it adds. “We will continue to cherish the timeless music we made together and the joy he brought to millions over the decades. And while we will miss him dearly, his legacy will live on through his songs and in our memories.”

The American group was founded in the early 1960s in Hawthorne, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, by Wilson, along with his two brothers, Dennis and Carl — both now deceased —, his cousin Mike Love and his friend Al Jardine. Surfin' USA , in 1963, was their first major hit, reaching number one in the charts in Canada and number three in the US. But it was with Pet Sounds (1966), which earned the unconditional admiration of Bob Dylan, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, that the Beach Boys' sound gained a new depth and complexity. Wilson would later leave due to mental problems, partly caused by LSD abuse. By December 1964, after a panic attack on board an airplane, he had decided to stop participating in the band's live concerts.