Beach Boys Star Brian Wilson Dead at 82

Brian Wilson — the legendary rockstar and cofounder of The Beach Boys — has died … according to a post by his children on his Instagram account.

Brian’s kids shared the joint statement … saying they’re at a total loss for words at his passing before adding they realize the grief they feel is shared by the whole world.

They’re asking for privacy at this time and did not provide a cause of death.

While the band’s first studio album “Surfin’ Safari” didn’t perform all that well, their sophomore effort “Surfin’ U.S.A.” netted them a gold record … with the title track becoming an enduring classic.

The success of “Surfin’ U.S.A.” led to even more record success down the line … with the band releasing “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Good Vibrations,” and “God Only Knows” before the decade was out.

During this string of success, Brian married his first wife Marilyn Rovell … and, the pair had their first two children — Carnie and Wendy — in 1968 and 1969, respectively. They divorced in 1979.

The Beach Boys started having serious problems in the 1970s … including one notable instance in 1977 where Mike Love attacked Brian with a piano bench.

The group was fractured in two during this period … with Carl and Dennis on one side, Mike and Al on the other — and Brian remaining neutral in the middle. He stepped away from the group briefly in 1982 for mental and physical health reasons.

Litigation plagued the band during much of the 1990s, during which time Brian toured as a solo artist. He achieved moderate success as a solo artist — playing a mixture of original tracks and covers of Beach Boys songs.

He also remarried in 1995 … tying the knot with talent manager Melinda Ledbetter. The two stayed together until she passed in 2024. The two adopted five children together.

He did reunite with Jardine and Love for a 50th anniversary tour in 2011 and 2012 and for smaller reunions over the years, too. Carl and Dennis had already passed away by that time.

It was revealed Wilson suffered from dementia last year … and, his family filed for a conservatorship to handle his affairs after Melinda passed.

Brian was 82.