The world came together to mourn Brian Wilson after the Beach Boys co-founder’s death was announced on Wednesday. Wilson was 82.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” Wilson’s family said in a statement shared on social media on Thursday.
“We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving,” they added. “We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.”
The Beach Boys’ social media account shared a heartbreaking Instagram post shortly after the news was announced.
“The world mourns a genius today, and we grieve for the loss of our cousin, our friend, and our partner in a great musical adventure,” the statement read. “Brian Wilson wasn’t just the heart of The Beach Boys—he was the soul of our sound.”
Celebrities and fans all over the world posted moving tributes to the beloved musician and producer who helped change the face of pop music.
“Brian Wilson was my friend and my brother in songwriting,” Carole King shared in a moving post on Facebook. “We shared a similar sensibility, as evidenced by his 4 over 5 chord under ‘Aaaah!’ in ‘Good Vibrations’ and mine under ‘I’m Into Something Good.’ We once discussed who used it first, and in the end we decided it didn’t matter. The world will miss Brian, but we are so lucky to have his music.”
Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac wrote on X that “Anyone with a musical bone in their body must be grateful for Brian Wilson’s genius magical touch !! And greatly saddened of this major worldly loss!! My thoughts go out to his family and friends.”
Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones added on X that his “world is in mourning” after the death of Wilson and Sly Stone.
Check out more tributes below:
CORRECTION: This story has been amended to reflect that Wilson’s death was announced on Wednesday.