The passing of Beach Boys visionary Brian Wilson has left a void in the music world and profoundly impacted those closest to him, none more so than his cousin and bandmate, Mike Love. According to actor and honorary Beach Boy John Stamos, the news rendered Love utterly speechless, offering a poignant glimpse into the depth of their complex, lifelong bond.
Stamos, a close friend and long-time collaborator with the Beach Boys, was traveling with Love when the news of Wilson’s death broke on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Stepping off a plane, Stamos received a text confirming the heartbreaking development and felt it was his duty to tell Love directly.
The Moment of Impact
Recounting the somber event ahead of Mike Love’s induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York the following day, Stamos shared the immediate reaction: “I said, ‘Mike, your cousin passed away,’ and his face went blank.”
The “Full House” star described the minutes and hours that followed as a silent vigil. “We sat in the car for two and a half hours or so … he didn’t say one word,” Stamos told reporters. Despite the lack of verbal response, Stamos felt he understood the magnitude of Love’s grief for the man he’d shared decades of history and music with.
A Complex Brotherhood
Brian Wilson and Mike Love co-founded The Beach Boys in 1961 alongside Brian’s brothers Dennis and Carl. Their collaboration produced some of the most iconic and enduring songs in American music history, like “I Get Around,” “California Girls,” and “Good Vibrations.” While their relationship was famously fraught with tension and legal disputes over the years, Stamos noted the undeniable truth: “You know, they had 80-plus years together. They made beautiful music together.”
Like many families, their bond saw “ups and downs,” as Love himself reflected later. But through it all, “we never stopped loving each other,” he wrote in a heartfelt tribute, adding that he “never stopped being in awe of what he could do when he sat at a piano or his spontaneity in the studio.”
Tributes and Lasting Legacy
Mike Love later paid his respects publicly, first through a social media post where he declared Wilson “not just the heart of The Beach Boys—he was the soul of our sound.” He reminisced about their early days and Wilson’s unparalleled contributions. At the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony, where Stamos had the honor of introducing him, Love dedicated his induction to Wilson, calling him “my brother in music.”
The music world widely mourned the loss of Brian Wilson at age 82. Though a cause of death was not revealed, his family noted he had been diagnosed with dementia and placed under a conservatorship in May 2024, having also battled mental health issues and addiction for decades.
Wilson’s impact is undeniable. He was a true musical savant and visionary, scripting the definitive soundtrack of Southern California with hits like “Surfer Girl,” “California Girls,” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” His innovative approach fundamentally changed pop music, leading Governor Gavin Newsom to state that Wilson helped make The Beach Boys “not only the defining American band of their era, but also the California band to this day,” capturing the “mystique and magic of California.” Stamos himself lauded Wilson as a “God Only Knows” giant and one of pop music’s true visionaries, stating simply, “Without Brian Wilson, life would be a mistake.”
Tributes poured in from countless figures, including Elton John, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, and many others, underscoring his global influence.
Wilson is survived by six children, including daughters Carnie and Wendy of the group Wilson Phillips. He was preceded in death by his wife, Melinda, who passed in January 2024, and his brothers Dennis and Carl, both former Beach Boys members who died in 1983 and 1998, respectively.
John Stamos, who has performed with the band for 40 years and even introduced them to younger audiences on shows like “Full House,” shared a personal anecdote highlighting Wilson’s unique nature. He recalled a time in Montreal where Wilson, without a readily available piano, insisted they “broke in the ballroom” of their hotel so he could play and spontaneously begin writing for hours. He described Wilson, despite his well-documented struggles, as “complicated, obviously,” but also possessing “a wry sense of humor.”
The passing of Brian Wilson marks the end of an era, but the sound and spirit he created with The Beach Boys will continue to resonate, arguably “needed now ‘more’ than ever” in Stamos’s words, echoing a time of optimism, harmony, and unparalleled musical brilliance.
