Numerous household names have paid tribute late musician Brian Wilson, who passed away aged 82.
Wilson who co founded the band, alongside Mike Love and Al Jardine, died yesterday, having been previously diagnosed with dementia.
His death was confirmed by his family, who released this statement.
"We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away", the statement read. "We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving", they added. "We realise that we are sharing our grief with the world".
In May last year, Brian Wilson was placed under a conservatorship, following a ruling by a judge, in light of his dementia diagnosis.
Court documents stated that the musician was unable to “properly provide for his own personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter”. More on this story from Nova here.
Paying tribute to Wilson, the late singer's longtime manager Jean Sievers released this statement.
“Brian gave so much to the world through his music, his spirit and his strength. 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", Sievers said.
Elsewhere, Elton John took to social media to pay tribute to Wilson.
“Brian Wilson was always so kind to me from the day I met him,” he said. “He sang ‘Someone Saved My Life Tonight’ at a tribute concert in 2003, and it was an extraordinary moment for me. I played on his solo records, he sang on my album, The Union, and even performed for my AIDS Foundation".
“I grew to love him as a person, and for me, he was 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".
Beatles' Ringo Starr added: “God bless Brian Wilson. Peace and love to all his family".
“Heard the sad news about Brian today and thought about all the years I’ve been listening to him and admiring his genius. Rest in peace dear Brian", Bob Dylan wrote.
Nancy Sinatra, a friend of Wilson's also wrote: “his cherished music will live forever as he travels through the Universe and beyond”, while Sean Lennon, solo artist and son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, also added: “Anyone who really knows me knows how heart broken I am about Brian Wilson passing. Not many people influenced me as much as he did. I feel very lucky that I was able to meet him and spend some time with him. He was always very kind and generous. He was our American Mozart. A one of a kind genius from another world".
