Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys Dead at 82

In the statement, the family did not provide a cause of death. However, it was reported that Wilson had been battling dementia since last year.

Famously, The Beach Boys were not avid surfers – despite their music being so intertwined with the post-Gidget California surfing movement of the sixties. The only real surfer of the band was the drummer, Dennis, the brother of fellow members Brian and Carl Wilson. (More on Dennis here.)

Nevertheless, the impact The Beach Boys had on surfing culture, through their music, was indelible. Songs like “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” “Wipeout,” “Surfin’ Safari,” and others encapsulated the time, and undoubtedly blasted through the primordial speakers of countless Woody Wagons, affixed with single-fins on the roof, packed with rowdy surfers, on their way down to Malibu.

And for much of their most enduring work, Wilson, who played bass for the band, was the architect behind the excellence. For instance, the 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds sits in the number two spot on Rolling Stone’s “Best Albums of All Time” list.

“Brian gave so much to the world through his music, his spirit and his strength,” Wilson’s manager Jean Sievers said in a statement. “He was a sweet, gentle soul as well as fierce competitor. There will never ever be anyone like him again. God truly broke the mold when he created Brian Wilson. Besides being a creative genius, he was one the smartest and funniest people I’ve ever known. His message of love will live on through his music forever.”

Rest in peace.