Brian Wilson, the frontman of The Beach Boys, recently shared that his wife, Melinda, has passed away. He shared the news on his social media accounts. Wilson wrote, “My heart is broken. Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning. Our five children and I are just 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.”
Melinda Ledbetter Wilson was the second wife and longtime manager of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. She was formerly a car salesperson and a model. Wilson continued in his post, “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. We will miss her but cherish everything she has taught us.”
Wilson concluded, “How to take care of the person next to you without expecting anything in return, how to find beauty in the darkest of places, and how to live life as your truest self with honesty and pride. We love you mom. Give Grandma Rose and Pa our love.” Brian and Melinda tied the knot in 1995. The pair first met in 1986 after Melinda sold Brian a Cadillac, People Magazine reported. The couple dated for three years, off and on. They rekindled their romance in 1992 after bumping into each other in Los Angeles.
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Three years after saying “I do,” Brian and Melinda sat down with People Magazine and shared a glimpse inside their marriage. “I’ve never had a relationship with a girl like we have,” Wilson told the outlet in 1998. “She’s a partner who’s also a best friend.” Melinda praised Brian’s “vulnerability.” She added that he was “probably the most sane person I know.” In 2014, the couple’s marriage became a biopic in “Love & Mercy.” John Cusack portrayed Brian, and Elizabeth Banks played Melinda in the film.
Seen in the movie was Wilson’s struggle with mental illness and his troubled relationship with his therapist and legal guardian, Dr. Eugene Landy. The film shows that Melinda was responsible for separating Wilson and Landy. According to People Magazine, in 1991, Wilson’s brother, mother and daughters sued Landy, arguing he had “undue influence” over the musician. The outlet also reported that the lawsuit was successful in 1992, and Landy was barred from contacting Wilson.
In 2015, Melinda told ABC News how hard it was to watch difficult moments in her life onscreen. “I didn’t know how tough it would be,” she told the outlet at the time. “I think I was more nervous than him when I took him to see it. And after, I said, ‘So what did you think?’ And he goes, ‘Oh, it was really a lot worse in real life.’”
Banks told the outlet that prior to filming, Melinda shared some words of wisdom. “She said to me, ‘Music is his first love. Nothing can replace it. It’s his being, it’s his essence, it’s his everything. So, I’m settling for second, but it’s a pretty good — it’s a pretty good second,” Banks said.