Brian Wilson had an impact that extended beyond the music world.
Wilson, a co-founder of the music group the Beach Boys, died Wednesday, his family announced on social media and his official website. He was 82 years old.
His passing had a direct impact on Miami Heat forward Kevin Love. Wilson and his brothers started the band with their cousin Mike Love, who is an uncle of the 18-year NBA veteran. Kevin Love referred to Wilson, technically a cousin, as his uncle.
“The Love family is deeply saddened by the loss of Brian Wilson,” Love wrote on an Instagram post. “He was revolutionary in his songwriting and arranging. Growing up around my uncle Mike and The Beach Boys I absorbed much of their influence within Rock & Roll.”
However, Mike Love and Wilson had a spat in their relationship when the two entered a legal feud over songwriter credits. Wilson eventually left the band due to mental health reasons.
Wilson and Love would take legal measures on songwriting credits and money for alleged contributions on 79 songs, including “California Girls” and “Good Vibrations.” The feud turned into an eight-week trial, which Love won in December 1994.
Kevin Love’s father, Stan Love, a former player for the Washington Bullets, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, served as Wilson’s caretaker and bodyguard in the 1970s and 1980s as Wilson faced personal challenges.
“My Dad and Brian had a special relationship,” Kevin Love wrote. “Brian often stayed with my parents when they lived in Emerald Bay. For a period of time, my dad was both his caretaker and bodyguard — particularly during a period when Brian was struggling with mental health and substance abuse.”
According to Love, his father would tell stories of how he got Wilson out of the house and onto a court to play basketball at their local YMCA.
Love also acknowledged his appreciation for Wilson’s continued creativity despite his “turmoil.”
“I personally admire Brian’s true creative resilience despite mental health challenges,” he wrote. “Beauty amid turmoil. We can all stand to learn from that. His impact, not just in music, is felt across many generations and will be for generations to come.
“Condolences to the Wilson family. We will forever play the emotional sympathies and honor the legacy of Brian.”
