Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys musician, songwriter and producer who created some of history’s most purely beautiful pop music, has died aged 82.
In a post shared on Instagram on Wednesday, Wilson’s family wrote: “We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. 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.”
Wilson’s Beach Boys bandmates paid tribute to “the soul of our sound” on Wednesday, writing: “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 melodies he dreamed up and the emotions he poured into every note changed the course of music forever. His unparalleled talent and unique spirit created the soundtrack of so many lives around the globe, including our own,” they continued.
“Together, we gave the world the American dream of optimism, joy, and a sense of freedom — music that made people feel good, made them believe in summer and endless possibilities.”
As the leading creative force in the Beach Boys, Wilson crafted a variously carefree and melancholy sound that came to define the uncertain utopianism of mid-century California. Using ambitious studio techniques to give the band’s music a thrilling grandeur, his songs about surfing, driving, girls and the pep of youth modulated to more reflective and often psychedelic material, resulting in one of the most highly regarded catalogues of American song.
The Beach Boys’ 1966 album Pet Sounds – written and produced almost entirely by Wilson – is seen not only as the group’s masterpiece, but for many is the greatest album of all time.
Wilson’s first song for the group, soon renamed the Beach Boys, was 1961’s Surfin’ – the first in a series of Wilson-penned hits such as Surfin’ Safari, Surfer Girl and Surfin’ USA, the last reaching No 3 on the US charts and cementing their breakthrough.
Source: The Guardian
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
