Brian Wilson, music icon and creative force behind The Beach Boys, dead at 82

Brian Wilson, cofounder of The Beach Boys and the creative force behind the group’s surf sound, orchestral arrangements and perfect harmonies, has died, his family announced on Wednesday.

Brian Wilson, cofounder of The Beach Boys and the creative force behind the group’s surf sound, orchestral arrangements and perfect harmonies, has died, his family announced on Wednesday. He was 82. “We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” his family wrote in the statement shared on Instagram and his official website. “We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.” CNN has reached out to representatives for Wilson for comment. Wilson’s life was marked just as much by struggles of substance abuse and mental illness as it was by repeated comebacks, remarkable talent and timeless songs that still echo across the country, decades after their release. His story, by all accounts, is one of resilience. Despite a childhood scarred by his father’s abuse, becoming partially deaf, and the years of haunting voices in his head from schizoaffective disorder, the two-time Grammy Award winner went on to become the “reigning king of pop melody,” as the Denver Post once put it, often bringing to life songs that told a much different tale than his own reality.