LAST UPDATE | 11 Jun

BEACH BOY CO-FOUNDER Brian Wilson has died, aged 82, according to a statement from his family.

“We are heartbroken to announced that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” the family said online. “We are at a loss for words right now.”

“Please respect our privacy at this time as our family grieving. We realise that we are sharing our grief with the world,” it added.

The statement concluded with “Love & Mercy”, referencing a film about Wilson starring John Cusack.

Wilson was the eldest and last surviving of the three musical brothers who made up the American rock band The Beach Boys, alongside their cousin Mike Love and school friend Al Jardine.

The group was founded in 1961 and Wilson’s songwriting “invented a massively successful pop sound full of harmonies and sunshine”, Rolling Stone Magazine, reporting Wilson’s death this evening, said.

His band, known for their vocal harmonies, signed with Capitol Records in 1962 and released their first album, Surfin’ Safari, that same year.

Brian (far right) was the eldest of the three musical Wilson brothers who made up the American rock band The Beach Boys, alongside their cousin Mike Love and school friend Al Jardine (pictured in 1962). Alamy, file Alamy, file

 Wilson was born on 20 June 1942, and began to play the piano and teach his brothers to sing harmony as a young boy. The Beach Boys started as a neighbourhood act, rehearsing in Wilson’s bedroom and in the garage of their house in suburban Hawthorne, California.

In the group Wilson played bass while his brother Dennis was the drummer and Carl played lead guitar. They were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2001.

The Beach Boys’ hits included God Only Knows, California Girls, Surfin’ USA and Good Vibrations.

With reporting by Press Association