Melinda Wilson, wife, manager and 'savior' of musician Brian Wilson, is dead at 77
Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, the longtime wife and manager of Brian Wilson whom the Beach Boys co-founder often credited for stabilizing his famously troubled life, has died at age 77
NEW YORK (AP) — Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, the longtime wife and manager of Brian Wilson whom the Beach Boys co-founder often credited for stabilizing his famously troubled life, has died at age 77.
Wilson died Tuesday at the couple's home in Beverly Hills, California, Brian Wilson announced online. Brian Wilson's spokesperson Lauren Mele said Wednesday that she passed away “suddenly,” but no other details were available.
“Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost,” Brian Wilson wrote on his web site. “Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us. Please say a prayer for her.”
In “Love and Mercy,” the 2014 film about Wilson that drew in part on Melinda Wilson’s memories, she is played by Elizabeth Banks.
