Paul McCartney has expressed his heartfelt tribute to Brian Wilson after the passing of the Beach Boys’ iconic figure. In a moving social media post on Thursday, the day after Wilson’s death was made public, McCartney reflected, “Brian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special.”
He continued, “The notes he heard in his head and passed to us were simple and brilliant at the same time. I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while.”
During the 1960s, the Beach Boys and the Beatles engaged in a creative rivalry that drove both bands to new artistic heights. In response to the Beatles’ groundbreaking album Rubber Soul, Wilson pushed the Beach Boys towards experimentation, resulting in their hallmark album Pet Sounds, which Rolling Stone later ranked as the second-best album on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. This work in turn inspired the Beatles’ landmark album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
McCartney has consistently lauded Wilson’s unique musical talents. Notably, he delivered the induction speech for Wilson into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, emphasizing that he was, “one of the great American geniuses.” The Beatle has also remarked that “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys is his all-time favorite song, poignantly concluding his tribute with, “How we will continue without Brian Wilson, ‘God Only Knows.’”
In the wake of Wilson’s death, his fellow Beach Boys band members, as well as many artists he inspired, have been sharing their own tributes. Elton John referred to Wilson as “the biggest influence on my songwriting ever; he was a musical genius and revolutionary. He changed the goalposts when it came to writing songs and shaped music forever. A true giant.”
Other notable figures from the music industry, including Carole King, Graham Nash, Mick Fleetwood, and Nancy Sinatra, have also offered their remembrances of Wilson.