Beach Boys co-founder and pop genius Brian Wilson has died at the age of 82. The news of his passing has inspired fellow musicians to flood social media with their gratitude for his artistry and memories of his music.
“Anyone with a musical bone in their body must be grateful for Brian Wilson’s genius magical touch !!” Mick Fleetwood wrote. “Greatly saddened of this major worldly loss!! My thoughts go out to his family and friends.”
Ronnie Wood added, “Oh no Brian Wilson and Sly Stone in one week. My world is in mourning. So sad.”
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Sean Ono Lennon perhaps summed up Wilson’s legacy best by calling him “our American Mozart. A one of a kind genius from another world.”
Micky Dolenz praised Wilson as “a true giant — not just of music, but of spirit. His melodies shaped a generation, his harmonies changed the game, and his soul came through in every note.”
Questlove recalled Pet Sounds particularly resonating with him as a 23-year-old living in London. “I know Orbison is the king of emo, but man if there was a human being who made art out of inexpressible sadness… damn it was Brian Wilson,” he wrote.
Randy Bachman wrote that The Beach Boys were “the American answer to the Beatles. They wowed everyone with the songs, structures, vocals harmonies. The sunshine sound.”
See more tributes below. We will continue updating this post as more reactions come in.
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 ❤️ Mick Fleetwood and the Fleetwood Mac Family #brianwilson #thebeachboys pic.twitter.com/ZddqigNK7e
— Mick Fleetwood (@MickFleetwood) June 11, 2025
Oh no Brian Wilson and Sly Stone in one week ~ my world is in mourning 🙏🙏so sad ❤️❤️xx pic.twitter.com/NXPfKzy7Ml
— Ronnie Wood (@ronniewood) June 11, 2025
Anyone who really knows me knows how heart broken I am about Brian Wilson passing. Not many people influenced me as much as he did. I feel very lucky that I was able to meet him and spend some time with him. He was always very kind and generous. He was our American Mozart. A one… pic.twitter.com/OOT0eVwQJ7
— Seán Ono Lennon (@seanonolennon) June 11, 2025
To me, Brian Wilson was not merely about surf music, rather a true musical genius toiling away at melding POP into startling sophistication. He will he be missed mightily.
xx jc https://t.co/UQDhO4dEVD— John Cale (@therealjohncale) June 11, 2025
Sadly, Brian Wilson has passed away. Songwriter, visionary. Thank you for a lifetime of wonderful melodies that spanned decades. I’m going to spend the day listening to the Beach Boys and reminiscing.
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) June 11, 2025
Another Giant Passes…⭐️✨⭐️✨🙏✨⭐️✨⭐️
The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson Dies at 82 | Pitchfork https://t.co/8bGE1BbRr7— David Coverdale (@davidcoverdale) June 11, 2025
RIP Brian Wilson. Words fail me. One of the greatest artists of my lifetime in any medium. In terms of rock songwriting, he’s on the extremely shortlist of all-time greats. Ditto production. So many beautiful songs but this one kills me the most. https://t.co/w8KwGKPGto
— Steven Hyden (@Steven_Hyden) June 11, 2025
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