Brian Wilson, founding member and driving force behind the iconic band, the Beach Boys, has died. He was 82.
His family announced the death, and there was no specific reason given for the cause of death. Wilson was known to have been suffering from a major neurocognitive disorder in recent years, however.
Wilson helped form the Beach Boys in 1961, and the band was originally known as the Pendletones. That name was admittedly a bit confusing, and the group's initial record company, Candix, changed the name without the group knowing.
Beach Boys pioneer Brian Wilson dies at 82
Would Wilson and the Beach Boys have been as popular if the name had not been changed? Thankfully, we will never know.
Wilson's gifts were enormous. Not only did he successfully mesh a barbershop quartet sound with rock music, but his ideas of how an album should sound changed rock and music history. The band's seminal album, 1966's Pet Sounds, influenced many other important bands, such as the Beatles.
Pet Sounds was also created at a time when singles still drove sales, but Wilson's idea was that the album should be heard as a whole. It did produce two top 10 singles, "Sloop John B" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice," but the best song on the record might have been the latter's B-side.
"God Only Knows" remains an important work due to how Wilson deconstructed the melody, doing so when the Beach Boys were very much still a sunny and positive "California" band. Wilson and the Beach Boys were always so much more than that moniker, though.
Overall, the band produced 14 top 10 songs and 10 top 10 albums on the United States Billboard charts.
Among Wilson's many production innovations were tape-splicing, overdubbing, and modular recording. This included Pet Sounds, which he recorded in mono so that the voices and harmonies would stand out as much as the individual instruments. This was done at a time when many bands were beginning to record in stereo.
Later in life, Wilson struggled as he received a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, and he also became estranged from his children. He was able to overcome these difficulties and reconcile with his daughters, and still have a vibrant music career. He toured and finished projects such as the amazing Smile album.
Wilson and the Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. In 2000, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.