Brian Wilson’s cause of death has been revealed.
The legendary California-born musician who co-founded the Beach Boys died June 11 at the age of 82.
According to Wilson’s death certificate, obtained by TMZ, his primary cause of death was respiratory arrest, which is when breathing ceases, despite the heart still pumping.
Two contributing infections, sepsis and cystitis, are also listed, along with associated health factors such as Wilson’s neurodegenerative disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic respiratory failure and chronic kidney disease.
News of Wilson’s death was confirmed earlier this month by his children, who shared a statement on Wilson’s official X (Twitter) account.
“We are heartbroken to announced [sic] that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” their statement reads.
“We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family grieving [sic]. We realise that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy.”
His death was met with an outpouring of grief and support from fellow musicians and entertainers.
Revered as the shy genius whose arrangements and songwriting talents spurred The Beach Boys on to become one of the most successful pop groups in history, Wilson was as complicated as he was brilliant.
He grew up in Hawthorne, California, the eldest of three brothers raised by their mother, Audree, and father, Murry. His prodigious musical talent was evident from a young age.
His 2016 memoir recalled sporadic episodes of physical and psychological abuse he and younger brothers Dennis and Carl suffered at the hands of Murry, whom he described as “violent” and “cruel.” Yet he also credited his father as a driving force when it came to nurturing his and his siblings’ musical gifts, from church choirs to playing the upright piano his parents acquired when he was 12 years old.
For his 16th birthday, Wilson received a reel-to-reel tape recorder and taught himself how to overdub, which would later become one of the signature techniques he used to create the layered harmonies of The Beach Boys.
With his two brothers, their cousin Mike Love and classmate Al Jardine, Wilson formed his first band, The Pendletones, in 1961 and wrote their first song, “Surfin’,” with Love. They changed their name to The Beach Boys after “Surfin’” became a hit, signing a new deal with Capitol Records and releasing their debut album, Surfin’ Safari, the following year.
By 1963, Wilson was already beginning to limit his public appearances with the band in order to produce their second album, Surfin’ USA, which peaked at No 2 on the Billboard charts that summer and established The Beach Boys as one of the country’s biggest new pop acts.
The media and fan frenzy the band’s fame attracted, along with Wilson’s concern over the threat posed by Beatlemania – which by then was sweeping the US – to The Beach Boys’ supremacy, pushed him to respond with “I Get Around”, their first No 1 hit.
Yet it wasn’t enough to soothe the psychological toll on Wilson, and he suffered a breakdown during a flight from Los Angeles to Houston ahead of a two-week tour. After making it through the Houston show that evening, he was replaced by session musician Glen Campbell for the rest of the tour. By the time the group continued recording their next album, Wilson announced that he was withdrawing from all future live tours. He later told a journalist that his decision was a byproduct of his “f***ed-up” jealousy over The Beatles and producer Phil Spector.
Wilson was also suffering from strains in his marriage to his first wife, Marilyn Rovell, which would later inform the lyrical content on the groundbreaking album Pet Sounds, considered by many critics as one of the greatest records of all time. Recorded and released in 1966, it is often viewed as the first “concept album” and was described by Rolling Stone as “by far the best album [Wilson] had delivered”.
In later life, Wilson resumed touring, including the first full live performance of Pet Sounds, where he was backed by a 55-piece orchestra. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 along with his bandmates, including brothers Carl and Dennis (posthumously as he had died five years earlier), and cousin Mike Love.
