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Brian Wilson: iconic images of a Beach Boy's life

Ottilie Mitchell
BBC News
Getty Images The Beach Boys form a human pyramid on a beach in a saturated image. They wear shorts and shirts in oranges and reds. Brian Wilson is at the centre of the pyramid.Getty Images

Brian Wilson, the lead singer, composer and front man of the Beach Boys, has died aged 82, his family have announced.

In a statement shared online, they said they were "heartbroken" by his death and requested privacy.

Tributes from fans and musicians saw him described as an icon, a genius and a pioneer.

Born and raised in California, the musician brought surf-rock to the world with songs like I Get Around, Surfin' USA and Good Vibrations.

Below is a selection of images from his life.

Getty Images The Beach Boys play various instruments in a small living room area. Brian Wilson is on guitar in the centre of the photo.Getty Images
Brian Wilson (centre) encouraged his brothers to sing the complex harmonies he had created while growing up. Here, they rehearse at home in Los Angeles in 1964
The Beach Boys grin and wear matching striped shirts in a close-up shot.
Wilson, second from the left, formed The Beach Boys in 1961. He roped in his brothers Dennis and Carl as well as their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. The group often performed in matching outfits at the start of their career
Getty Images The Beach Boys carry a surfboard between them and walk along the beach in matching plaid shirts and light brown tros.Getty Images
This image of the band carrying a surfboard featured on their album Surfer Girl
Getty Images Brian Wilson kisses Marilyn Wilson. She wears a white bow in a large sixties hairstyle.Getty Images
Brian Wilson married Marilyn Rovell in 1964. A singer for the all-female group The Honeys, Rovell divorced Wilson in 1981 following his widely documented struggles with drug use. He later married Melinda Ledbetter, who died in 2024
Getty Images The Beach Boys jump from a ledge in front of the Eiffel Tower.Getty Images
The success of the band was global - they sold some 100 million records in their career, according to their website. With this acclaim came tours. Here they jump for joy in Paris, 1964
Getty Images The Beach Boys stand in a circle around a microphone with a screen behind them in a black and white image. Both Brian Wilson and Al Jardine face the camera. The other of the band face away.Getty Images
The album Pet Sounds is one of the group's most loved and most highly acclaimed, featuring songs including Wouldn't It Be Nice and God Only Knows. Wilson was the primary composer. He is pictured here directly behind the microphone, recording the album in 1966. He was just 22
Getty Images Brian Wilson bites down on a vinyl record.Getty Images
In a 1968 photoshoot, Wilson wore a suit and tucked a napkin into his shirt to 'eat' various items, including a record and a shoe
PA Media Brian Wilson performs on the Pyramid Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset Sunday 26 June 2005.PA Media
Brian Wilson played a coveted slot on Glastonbury Festival's famous Pyramid Stage in 2005
Getty Images Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney look into the camera in a close-up.Getty Images
Wilson's musicality is and was among the most lauded in the world. Sir Paul McCartney named Pet Sounds his favourite album. Here the pair are pictured at a benefit concert in 2016