20 Jun 1942 - 11 Jun 2025 (82 years)

Brian Douglas Wilson was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys and received widespread recognition as one of the most innovative and significant figures in the history of popular music.

His work was distinguished for its high production values, complex harmonies and orchestrations, vocal layering, and introspective or ingenuous themes. He was also known for his versatile head voice and falsetto.

Wilson died in his sleep in his Beverly Hills home on June 11, 2025, at the age of 82. Al Jardine later reported that Wilson had been struggling with long-term effects of COVID-19 since his last tour: "That was the end of it. He never came back after that."
His primary cause of death was declared as respiratory arrest amid sepsis, cystitis, and other associated factors.

At the time of his death, Wilson had left behind a substantial body of unreleased work, including the albums Adult/Child and Sweet Insanity, a large collection of 1980s demos, and recordings created with Dennis Wilson, Gary Usher, Andy Paley, and Joe Thomas. Cows in the Pasture, the unfinished album he had produced for Fred Vail in 1970, is to be released in 2025, accompanied by a docuseries about Vail and the album's making.