The Beach Boys, Carnie Wilson, John Stamos, and more mourn Brian Wilson: ‘He was the soul of our sound’

The music world is in mourning after the death of Brian Wilson, the visionary behind The Beach Boys’ transcendent harmonies and one of pop music’s most influential composers. As news of his passing at age 82 spread, friends, family, and legends across generations paid tribute to the man whose melodies shaped American music—and their lives.

A daughter’s heartbreak and lifelong bond

Carnie Wilson, daughter of Brian Wilson and a member of Wilson Phillips, expressed profound grief over her father’s passing in a deeply personal message on Instagram. “My Father @brianwilsonlive was every fiber of my body,” she wrote. “He will be remembered by millions and millions until the world ends.”

She reflected on their soul connection, calling herself lucky to have been his daughter. “I’ve never felt this kind of pain before,” she admitted, imagining Brian now playing piano in heaven for his mother, Audree. In a moment of raw vulnerability, Carnie said she was overwhelmed: “This is all my hands will let me type. I love you Daddy… I miss you so much already.”

A Beach Boy remembers his brother in spirit

Al Jardine, co-founder of The Beach Boys and longtime collaborator of Wilson, shared an emotional remembrance of his old friend and bandmate. “Brian Wilson, my friend, my classmate, my football teammate, my Beach Boy bandmate and my brother in spirit,” Jardine wrote, recalling their journey from classmates to global music pioneers.

He found comfort in the thought that Brian was now reunited with his late brothers and fellow bandmates Carl and Dennis Wilson. “You were a humble giant who always made me laugh, and we will celebrate your music forever,” Jardine said. “Still I have the warmth of the sun.”

The Beach Boys pay tribute to their musical soul

The official Beach Boys Instagram account, currently representing the group led by Mike Love, honored Wilson’s enduring impact on their sound. “Brian Wilson wasn’t just the heart of The Beach Boys—he was the soul of our sound,” the statement read.

They remembered him not just as a bandmate but as a musical revolutionary whose melodies altered the course of pop music history. “Together, we gave the world the American dream of optimism, joy, and a sense of freedom,” the tribute said. “His legacy will live on through his songs and in our memories.”

From superfans to collaborators: John Stamos and John Cusack

Actor John Stamos, once a self-professed Beach Boys superfan who later became a collaborator and friend, shared his heartbreak in a poignant Instagram post. “Brian Wilson didn’t just soundtrack my life… he filled it with color, with wonder,” Stamos wrote. “Brian wasn’t just a musical genius, he was a gentle, soulful, funny, complex, beautiful man.”

John Cusack, who portrayed Wilson in the acclaimed 2014 biopic Love & Mercy, described him as “a man with an ear that heard the angels.” Sharing a photo of the handwritten lyrics to “Love and Mercy,” Cusack called Wilson “a maestro” and a man who gave everything to his music.

Filmmakers reflect on their time with Wilson

Bill Pohlad, director of Love & Mercy, remembered Wilson as “a true genius” and said working with him was an honor. “What an extraordinary artist! I will miss his presence on this earth,” he told Entertainment Weekly. Elizabeth Banks, who played Melinda Ledbetter Wilson in the film, reflected on the couple’s love: “They were madly in love until the very end… Together again, may they rest in peace.”

Frank Marshall, director of the 2024 documentary The Beach Boys, noted that Wilson’s influence transcended surf rock. “He left us with an extraordinary musical legacy that could have only been created by a true musical genius,” Marshall said.

Musical peers remember a towering influence

Tributes poured in from fellow musicians, including Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, and Carole King. Dylan wrote on X that he had admired Wilson’s genius for decades. Ringo Starr offered a simple but heartfelt, “God bless Brian Wilson. Peace and love to all his family.” Carole King, a close friend, called Wilson “my brother in songwriting” and remembered how their musical minds often overlapped in harmonic complexity.

Sean Ono Lennon compared Wilson to Mozart. “He was our American Mozart. A one-of-a-kind genius from another world,” he wrote. “Not many people influenced me as much as he did.”

A hero to a new generation of artists

Zooey Deschanel, who collaborated with Wilson on both No Pier Pressure and her She & Him tribute album Melt Away, said working with him was one of the greatest honors of her life. “His generosity of spirit and truly incandescent creativity brought me so much joy,” she wrote. Nate Ruess, who also worked with Wilson, recalled singing “God Only Knows” as a career-defining moment.

Questlove reflected on discovering Pet Sounds in the mid-1990s while grappling with self-doubt. “No album spoke to me more than Pet Sounds,” he wrote. “If there was a human being who made art out of inexpressible sadness… damn it was Brian Wilson.”

Artists across genres and generations grieve

John Cale of Velvet Underground praised Wilson’s sophisticated approach to pop. “To me, Brian Wilson was not merely about surf music,” he said, “but a true musical genius toiling away at melding pop into startling sophistication.”

Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac emphasized the global loss: “Anyone with a musical bone in their body must be grateful for Brian Wilson’s genius magical touch!” Cameron Crowe, who used “Good Vibrations” in Vanilla Sky, summed it up: “His melodies will be there for all-time, waiting for each new generation.”

A genius remembered, a legacy forever

For many, Wilson’s work defied genre and era. Edgar Wright, who featured Wilson’s music in Baby Driver, noted, “His songwriting and production craft was so impressive that he alone managed to inspire, and even intimidate, The Beatles into creating some of their finest work.”

Christopher Cross, a longtime friend and collaborator, put it simply: “Words can’t express what Brian Wilson meant to me. He was a genuine hero who taught me everything I know about music.”

Brian Wilson didn’t just write songs—he wrote emotional landscapes. Whether it was heartbreak or harmony, California sunshine or inner storms, he captured it all in a way no one else could. Though his voice is now silent, his music plays on—in our hearts, on our speakers, and across every wave of the American sound he helped invent.