Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson Shares Sad News of His Wife’s Death

Musician Brian Wilson, honoree, and wife Melinda arriving at The 30th Kennedy Center Honors on December 2, 2007, in Washington, DC. The 2007 honorees are pianist Leon Fleisher, actor Steve Martin, singer Diana Ross, director Martin Scorsese and musician Brian Wilson
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Brian Wilson announced that his beloved wife, Melinda Ledbetter Wilson has passed away at the age of 77. The 81-year-old wrote, “Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost. Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us. Please say a prayer for her. Love and Mercy Brian.”

 

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Their children added, “She was a force of nature and one of the strongest women you could come by. She was not only a model, our father’s savior, and a mother, she was a woman empowered by her spirit with a mission to better everyone she touched. We will miss her but cherish everything she has taught us. How to take care of the person next to you with out expecting anything in return, how to find beauty in the darkest of places, and how to live life as your truest self with honesty and pride. We love you mom. Give Grandma Rose and Pa our love.”

Musician Brian Wilson and Melinda Ledbetter attend the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 10, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California

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She reportedly died peacefully at home. Brian and Melinda were married for 28 years. They met when she sold him a Cadillac in 1986 and they wed in 1995. The couple went on to adopt five children: Dakota Rose, Daria Rose, Delanie Rose, Dylan, and Dash. Back in 2014, their love story was told in the movie Love & Mercy. The film also shared the details of Brian’s struggles with mental illness and how Melinda saved him from a tumultuous relationship with his therapist Dr. Eugene Landy.

Melinda Ledbetter and Brian Wilson attend the Roadside Attractions' Premiere Of "Love & Mercy" at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater on June 2, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California

Todd Williamson/Getty Images for Roadside Attraction

Elizabeth Banks, who played Melinda in Love & Mercy, once shared that Melinda told her, “She said to me, ‘Music is his first love. Nothing can replace it. It’s his being, it’s his essence, it’s his everything, So I’m settling for second, but it’s a pretty good — it’s a pretty good second.” May she rest in peace.

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