American musician, the troubled and eccentric genius of “The Beach Boys,” a composer and producer who gave up touring with the group in 1965, at 22. He devoted himself to writing and producing the group’s albums, creating some of the most ethereal and sophisticated pop of the classic-rock era, along with some of pop-rock’s most purely joyful and often goofy rollicking fun music. The 1998 release of his album “Imagination” was co-produced with former professional wrestler turned musician, Joe Thomas. Brian has had a long line of collaborators and semi-Svengalis as a support team.
Wilson is 6′ 3″ tall, weighing over 300 lb. at one time until losing 100 lb. in early 1983. He suffers from deafness in his right ear and, since childhood, has spoken and sung out of the side of his mouth. For nearly 25 years he battled debilitating mental illness, an emotional instability exacerbated by drug and alcohol abuse. He refused to get out of bed for long stretches in the late ’60s and ’70s. During the ’80s and early ’90s he put his emotional and professional life into the care, full-time by 1984, of his not so scrupulous psychiatrist, Eugene Landy (b.26 November 1934). A 24 hour-a-day psychiatrist-guru, Landy served as Brian’s manager and chief money grubber and was apparently in absolute control of Wilson’s life by 1990.
Wilson has been known to suffer bouts of stage fright so severe that he feels like bolting from the stage. Hoping to overcome this, he began his first-ever solo-concert tour in March 1999 with a 13 piece band, easing into scaled-back gigs that are geared to not produce heavy performance-anxiety. He avoids interviews, clutching a pillow for protection when he must respond to the press. He is plainly more comfortable at the piano than in a social situation.
He was married twice, first to Marilyn on 7 December 1964, Los Angeles, California. They were separated on 15 July 1978 and divorced the following year. Their two daughters, Wendy and Carnie, were once part of the group Wilson Phillips. He married 49-year old Melinda Ledbetter 16 years later on 6 February 1995, 6:00 PM, Palos Verdes, California, adopting two daughters and two sons. He maintains his well-being with the use of medications for depression, anxiety and sleeplessness.
In 2015 his biopic Love & Mercy was released.
He was born two days after Paul McCartney of The Beatles.
Link to Wikipedia biography