Upon his death aged 82 on Wednesday, June 11, Brian Wilson left behind an indelible legacy.
The late Beach Boys member was a pioneer of the fast-evolving pop and rock scene in California in the 1960s, and was only just shy of 24 years old when he released the seminal masterpiece Pet Sounds, considered by Rolling Stone the second best album of all time, behind Marvin Gaye's What's Going On.
The "God Only Knows" singer's life as the resident genius of the Beach Boys however was marred with struggles with mental illness and drugs, and he lived the end of his life in a conservatorship.
© InstagramHis net worth
At the time of his death, Brian had a reported net worth of $100 million, a somewhat surprisingly low number given his groundbreaking contributions to the music industry.
The Beach Boys were formed in 1961 as a garage band, led by Brian and also featuring his late brother Dennis Wilson, who passed away aged 39 in 1983. Though their heyday was primarily the 1960s — and they certainly had their ups and downs — they had reunion performances well into the 2010s.
Per ChartMasters: "Career-wise, [the Beach Boys] score an immense total of 146 million equivalent album sales. They remain the top selling pre-Beatles band, and belong to the top 5 most successful American bands of all-time."
Among his fellow music genius counterparts, Brian's net worth isn't very high. Paul McCartney has a net worth of $1.3 billion, Bob Dylan reportedly $500 million, Neil Young about $200 million, and Elton John, who in his tribute to Brian said the "revolutionary" was "the biggest influence on my songwriting ever," has a reported net worth of $650 million.
© Getty ImagesThe conservatorship
Brian was long open about his struggles with both drugs and mental illness, including his battle with schizoaffective disorder, a condition characterized by hallucinations and delusions.
© GettyHe was also famously involved in the 1970s and 1980s with former, late psychotherapist Eugene Landy, who though was previously credited at one point with bringing Brian out of his depression and substance abuse, his unorthodox methods eventually came under the scrutiny of the California authorities and he surrendered his license, plus a court order blocked him from further contact with Brian after his family accused him of financially extorting him. He died at 71 in 2006.
Brian's conservatorship was put into place last year, following the death of his wife of 28 years, Melinda Wilson, in January 2024. Per the New York Times, the petition at the time said a neurocognitive disorder had made Mr. Wilson "unable to properly provide for his own personal needs for physical health."
© Jason LaVerisHis kids
Brian was married twice and had seven kids. Though he was briefly engaged in 1963 to Judy Bowles, the following year, he married singer Marilyn Rovell, with whom he welcomed daughters Carnie, born in 1968, and Wendy, born in 1969.
He later had an affair with Debbie Keil, and divorced Marilyn in 1979. He then dated Melinda (née Ledbetter) from 1986 to late 1989, and after reconnecting in 1991, they married in 1995, and adopted five children, Dakota Rose, Daria Rose, Delanie Rose, Dylan and Dash.
