Brian Wilson, the musical visionary who captured the optimism of early 1960s youth culture as co-founder of The Beach Boys and created some of the most stylistically adventurous pop of the era with the seminal album “Pet Sounds,” has died, his family confirmed on Wednesday.
He was 82.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” Wilson’s family confirmed in a post on Instagram. “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.”
Wilson’s legal representatives said last year that he was suffering from a “major neurocognitive disorder (such as dementia)” and suggested he be placed in a conservatorship. Wilson was widely known to have struggled with mental illness and substance abuse.
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