Paul McCartney pays tribute to Beach Boys 'musical genius' Brian Wilson: 'I loved him'
Paul McCartney is paying his respects after the death of fellow music icon Brian Wilson.
The Beatles legend, 82, shared a tribute on June 12 to the iconic Beach Boys cofounder, who died at age 82. In an Instagram post, McCartney wrote that Wilson "had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special."
"The notes he heard in his head and passed to us were simple and brilliant at the same time," he wrote. "I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while. How we will continue without Brian Wilson, 'God Only Knows.'"
In 2000, McCartney inducted Wilson into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and described him as one of the "great American geniuses." He said at the time, "In the '60s, particularly, he wrote some music that when I played it, it made me cry, and I don't quite know why. It wasn't necessarily the words or the music. It was just something so deep in it that there's only certain pieces of music that can do this to me."
Wilson's death has sparked an outpouring of tributes from the world of music and beyond. Fellow Beach Boys member Mike Love said that "today, the world lost a genius, and I lost a cousin by blood and my partner in music." Other music icons including Elton John also mourned Wilson, with John saying that he was "always so kind to me from the day I met him" and was also a major influence.
"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," John said. "He changed the goalposts when it came to writing songs and shaped music forever. A true giant."
John Stamos pays tribute to friend Brian Wilson: A 'beautiful man'
John Stamos, who has been performing with the Beach Boys, also shared an emotional tribute to Wilson. The "Full House" actor said on Instagram that it's "hard to put into words what it meant to stand beside him, laugh with him, play his music with him."
"Brian wasn't just a musical genius, he was a gentle, soulful, funny, complex, beautiful man," he said. "He heard things no one else could hear. He felt things deeper than most of us ever will. And somehow, he turned all of that into music that wrapped itself around the world and made us all feel less alone."
Stamos went on to recall how he grew up "worshipping" the Beach Boys and never imagined that he'd get to play with them one day, "let alone call Brian a friend."
"So much of my life and career, so much of me, exists because of what Brian created," he added, concluding, "Rest easy, Brian. Thank you for the music. Thank you for the moments. I'll carry them with me — forever."