Brian Wilson and wife Melinda Wilson during 2005 MusiCares Person of the Year (Photo Credits: L. Cohen | WireImage via Getty Images)
The Beach Boys is a Disney+ documentary that follows the lives of the Wilson brothers—Carl, Dennis, and Brian—their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine, who formed the California-based rock band The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson, the co-founder of the boy band, is 81 years old and the father of seven children. He married Melinda Ledbetter, a former model, in 1995, and the couple remained married for 28 years until her death in January 2024. Wilson reportedly met Ledbetter in 1986 when she was a car saleswoman.
People Magazine reported that Brian Wilson was first married to Marilyn Wilson. Marilyn and The Beach Boys singer share two daughters, Carnie and Wendy, who were born in 1968 and 1969, respectively. The couple separated in 1979, around 16 years before he married Ledbetter. Wilson and Ledbetter were reportedly dating on and off for nine long years. The outlet stated that the five children the couple raised were all adopted.
The singer reportedly had a complicated relationship with his therapist, Eugene Landy, for some time, which caused his relationship with Ledbetter to be unstable. Another report by People Magazine stated that Wilson was allegedly not allowed to contact close friends and family as he began exerting influence on him. In the early 1990s, a court order prevented Landy from staying in touch with Wilson after the singer’s mother and daughters sued her for having “undue influence” on him. After the court order, Melinda Ledbetter and Brian Wilson reportedly rekindled their romance and eventually married.
Who are The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson’s children?
Brian Wilson’s first daughter, Carnie Wilson, was born on April 29, 1968, while his second daughter, Wendy Wilson, was born a year later on October 16. Although the girls were born after Wilson became popular through The Beach Boys, they were reportedly raised in a ordinary environment upon the request of their mother, Marilyn. Wendy and Carnie allegedly had a rocky relationship with their father because of his drug and alcohol use, which also strained Wilson’s relationship with his first wife, reported The New York Times.
In 2000, Carnie married Robert Bonfiglio, a musician and producer. The couple shares two children, Lola and Luciana, who are Brian Wilson’s first grandchildren. Two years later, Wendy married Daniel Knutson, and she reportedly gave birth to their four sons: Leo, Beau, Will, and Jesse.
After his marriage to Melinda Ledbetter, The Beach Boys singer reportedly adopted five children because the couple decided they wanted children. Per People Magazine, they adopted Dakota Rose, Delanie Rose, Daria Rose, Dylan, and Dash. The couple’s adopted children also didn’t step into the public radar often but reportedly accompanied Brian Wilson to award ceremonies, including the Grammys and film premieres.
According to Distractify, Carnie and Wendy are among Brian Wilson’s most popular children. They started a pop trio with their friend Chynna Phillips, daughter of Mamas & the Papas’ Michelle and John Phillips, and called it Wilson Phillips. Wilson’s two daughters have also appeared on television numerous times.
When did Brian Wilson’s wife Melinda Ledbetter die?
Brian Wilson’s second wife, Melinda Ledbetter, died on January 30, 2024. The Beach Boys singer reportedly posted a heartfelt post. It was meant to be a tribute to his wife of 28 years on social media. “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,” he wrote.
A 2015 film titled Love & Mercy, starring John Cusack and Elizabeth Banks, was reportedly based on the love story between Melinda Ledbetter and Brian Wilson. The movie focused on the couple’s meeting when Melinda was a salesperson as well as Wilson’s battle with mental illness and drug abuse.
CBS News reported that after Melinda Ledbetter’s death, his family filed conservatorship for The Beach Boys singer. The step was described as necessary after his wife’s death. In February 2024, The Guardian reported that Brian Wilson has dementia. He was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and mild manic depression in the 1960s and 70s when his mental state deteriorated due to drug abuse and using hallucinogens.
Presently, he suffers from auditory hallucinations or voices in his head. The filing for conservatorship suggested that Brian Wilson “does not have the capacity to give informed consent.” This was in the context of medical treatment of his neurocognitive disorders, which include dementia. The outlet further noted that he has a short attention span and is likely to make spontaneous and irrelevant utterances. Moreover, he was described as frequently behaving in a way that did not “maintain decorum appropriate to the situation.”
The Beach Boys premiered on May 24, 2024, on Disney+. It is currently streaming on the platform.
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