Melinda Wilson was the architect of Brian Wilson’s return to the forefront. She died at the age of 77.
Melinda Wilson, the wife of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, mother of his five youngest children and architect of his return to the spotlight, died Tuesday of unknown causes. She was 77 years old.
“ My heart is brokenwrote Brian Wilson in a press release. Our five children and I are 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 most important to me. She was my anchor. She was everything to us. Please pray for her. »
Melinda Wilson met Brian Wilson in 1986 while working at a Cadillac dealership in Los Angeles. At the time, Brian had become estranged from his family and bandmates. Psychologist Eugene Landy controlled almost every aspect of his life. “ He was called for help and I think originally he helpedMelinda told Larry King in 2004. He helped Brian lose weight. He helped Brian take care of himself physically again. Over time, Brian became his prisoner. »
With Melinda’s invaluable help, Brian was finally able to legally sever all ties with Landy and start a life with her. They married in 1995 and adopted five children. Shortly after the marriage, Brian began recording music and touring again under his own name. She was always by his side.
“ He came from an incredibly dysfunctional familydeclared Melinda Wilson at Chicago Tribune in 1998. His father was violent and had been abused. Brian should have been an abuser too. Instead, Brian withdrew. He never took care of his children. Today, although music is still extremely important to him, he has learned that there is love, family. I wonder what his music would have been like if he had known earlier, what he could have done if he had been surrounded by a family who would have supported and loved him from the beginning. »
Melinda Kae Ledbetter grew up in Whittier, California. She was an advertising model for 16 years before starting work as a Cadillac dealer. “ I knew the Beach Boysshe told Larry King. But I didn’t know Brian was the genius behind the Beach Boys. I always thought Dennis, his brother, was cute. »
In 2014, Elizabeth Banks played Melinda in the biographical film Love and Mercy. “ I didn’t imagine how hard it would be (to watch it) Melinda Wilson told ABC. I think I was more nervous than he was when I took him to see it, and afterwards I said to him, “So, what did you think?” And he said, “Oh, it was so much worse in real life.” »
Brian and Melinda’s five children also made a public statement when news of his death broke: “ She was not only a role model, our father’s savior and a mother, she was also a woman driven by her spirit and whose mission was to better all those she touched. We will miss her, but we will cherish everything she taught us. How to take care of your neighbor without expecting anything in return, how to find beauty in the darkest places and how to live your life as true as possible, with honesty and pride. We love you, mom. »
