Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, died on June 11, 2025, at the age of 82. Below are controversial, unusual, bizarre, and/or mental health-related facts, while maintaining a critical and respectful approach to his legacy.
- Controversial Relationship with Psychotherapist Eugene Landy
One of the most controversial episodes in Brian Wilson’s life was his relationship with psychotherapist Eugene Landy, who exerted excessive control over him during the 1970s and 1980s. Landy was initially hired in 1975 by Wilson’s family to treat Wilson’s mental health and substance abuse issues, but his approach, known as “24-hour therapy,” devolved into a manipulative dynamic. Landy became Wilson’s manager, co-producer, and co-writer, becoming involved in his personal and professional decisions, including the production of his 1988 solo album, Brian Wilson. He was accused of isolating Wilson from his family and friends and even attempting to include himself in Wilson’s will through a guardianship agreement. In 1991, following an investigation, Landy was forced to surrender his psychology license in California and was issued a restraining order. This episode was so significant that it was portrayed in the 2014 biopic Love & Mercy, which claimed that Landy’s control was even more severe than depicted on screen.
- Contact with Charles Manson
An extravagant and disturbing fact is Brian Wilson’s brief connection with Charles Manson, the infamous cult leader responsible for several murders in 1969. In 1968, Dennis Wilson, Brian’s brother and a member of the Beach Boys, met Manson and introduced him to the band’s social circle. Manson, an aspiring musician, recorded some songs in Brian’s home studio, although they were never released. According to X reports, Manson attended parties at Brian’s house and interacted with him, sparking rumors about his influence on the band’s milieu. Although Brian did not have a significant direct relationship with Manson, this connection has been the subject of speculation and morbid curiosity, especially due to Manson’s fascination with the Beach Boys’ music, which he interpreted in a distorted way (for example, associating the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” with his own delusions).
- Eccentric Behaviors and Mental Health Issues
Wilson exhibited strange and extravagant behaviors, particularly during his periods of greater mental instability. In the 1970s, following the success of Pet Sounds, he secluded himself in his Bel Air mansion, where he lived in a room filled with sand, mirrors, and a tent, recreating a beach setting for inspiration. He was also reported to have attempted to drive his car off a cliff and asked to be buried in a grave he had dug himself, reflecting his deep emotional crisis. These episodes were marked by his use of drugs such as LSD, marijuana, amphetamines, and cocaine, which exacerbated his diagnosed schizophrenia and the voices he claimed to hear. In 1968, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, possibly voluntarily, a fact kept secret at the time.
- Legal Charges and Conflicts with the Beach Boys
Wilson faced several legal disputes related to his work and relationships with the Beach Boys. In the 1990s, he was sued by his cousin and bandmate Mike Love for songwriting royalties, a lawsuit Love won, which created tensions within the group. Furthermore, in 1991, his mother, brothers, and other band members sued him for defamatory statements in his autobiography, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice: My Own Story,” which Wilson later repudiated, claiming that Landy had influenced its writing. These legal disputes highlight the internal disputes that marked Wilson’s career and the Beach Boys, especially after his formal departure from the band in 1982, when he was ousted from Brother Records, the label he helped found.
- A Comedy Show That Generated Discomfort
A curious, though not criminal, incident occurred in 1976 during a comedy sketch for an NBC television special produced by Lorne Michaels. In it, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, disguised as California Highway Patrol officers, “arrested” Wilson for “not surfing,” taking him in a bathrobe into the ocean and forcing him into the water. Although the sketch was intended as humor, Wilson expressed discomfort and discontent, feeling ridiculed at a time when he was struggling with his mental health and addiction. This incident, mentioned in X’s posts, reflects how his public image was sometimes insensitively exploited.