Saying farewell to Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys visionary who created a perfect tableau of Southern California heartbreak

You can’t reduce a genius like Brian Wilson down to a singular accomplishment. But it is worth noting how many of us, immediately after learning of his passing Wednesday at age 82, went to YouTube, Spotify,

God Only Knows” how respected Brian Wilson was for his talent. The Beach Boy, whose death at the age of 82 was announced Wednesday, drew online tributes. Paul McCartney shared a series of photos of Wilson,

I'll never forget the first time Brian Wilson made me see God. It was 1973, and I was sitting in the mostly empty balcony of a second-run movie theater finally watching “American Graffiti,” the movie everyone in my high school was talking about.

Sting paid tribute to Brian Wilson during his concert in Rostock, Germany, on Wednesday, June 12. "Today, one of my heroes died, Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys, so I want to sing a song that I love,

The simple purity of God Only Knows, and the glorious harmonies of its recorded version have become a touchstone of modern music, and a shared password of musical passion.

When inducting Brian Wilson into the songwriters Hall of Fame, Paul McCartney recalled how Wilson's 'God Only Knows" brought him to tears. The passing of Wilson at 82, brought many to tears remembering how he had brought joy to them as the founder,

One of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys’ most enduring hits is “God Only Knows” from their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Revered artists like Paul McCartney have expressed their adoration of the song, and it often finds a spot high in the rankings of greatest songs of all time lists.