Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson’s family has requested a conservatorship over his person in a new court filing.
“Following the passing of Brian’s beloved wife Melinda, after careful consideration and consultation among Brian, his seven children, [housekeeper] Gloria Ramos and Brian’s doctors (and consistent with family processes put in place by Brian and Melinda), we are confirming that longtime Wilson family representatives LeeAnn Hard and Jean Sievers will serve as Brian’s co-conservators of the person,” Wilson’s family said in a Thursday, February 15, statement shared via his X page.
The statement added: “This decision was made to ensure that there will be no extreme changes to the household and Brian and the children living at home will be taken care of and remain in the home where they are cared for by Gloria Ramos and the wonderful team at the house who have been in place for many years helping take care of the family.”
Brian’s wife, Melinda Wilson, died in January at the age of 77. According to documents obtained by Us Weekly, Melinda helped care for the musician, who suffers from a “major neurocognitive disorder such as dementia.”
Wilson’s family filed their motion to “ensure that all of [his] daily living needs are [satisfied] and he has the best possible care while remaining in his home.”
Brian, now 81, formed the Beach Boys in 1961 alongside his brothers, Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. The group signed a record deal with Capitol Records in 1962, the same year that their first album, Surfin’ Safari, was released. The Beach Boys went their separate ways in the 1980s, focusing on their solo careers before reuniting for a 50th anniversary tour in 2012.
When asked about the possibility of another reunion, Brian told the Los Angeles Times in February 2013, “No, I don’t think so. Doubt it.”
Brian has been candid over the years about his battles with schizoaffective disorder, mild manic depression and paranoid schizophrenia.
“For the past 40 years I’ve had auditory hallucinations in my head, all day every day, and I can’t get them out,” Brian told Ability magazine in 2006. “Every few minutes the voices say something derogatory to me, which discourages me a little bit, but I have to be strong enough to say to them, ‘Hey, would you quit stalking me? F—k off! Don’t talk to me—leave me alone!’ I have to say these types of things all day long. It’s like a fight.”
Brian was 25 when he first realized “something was wrong,” and he eventually began treatment nearly 20 years later.
“[Treatment] has made my symptoms bearable so I don’t have to go screaming down the street yelling, ‘Leave me alone, leave me alone,’ and that kind of thing,” he recalled to the magazine before detailing his other health battles. “Well, my depression goes pretty low, pretty deep. I get depressed to the point where I can’t do anything — I can’t even write songs, which is my passion.”
