Brian Wilson pays tribute to late wife, Melinda Ledbetter
The key creative force behind The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, has paid tribute to his wife, Melinda Ledbetter, following her death at age 77.
The Beach Boys’ co-founding member married Ledbetter, his long-serving manager, in 1995. She was notably supportive of her husband, who endured many years of hardship related to his mental health problems.
“My heart is broken. Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning,” Wilson revealed on X, formerly known as Twitter, on January 30th.
“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,” the post continued.
“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. Love and Mercy Brian,” Wilson concluded.
In a further message, the couples’ adopted children Dakota Rose, Daria Rose, Delanie Rose, Dylan and Dash added: “It is with a heavy heart that we let everyone know that our mom, Melinda Kay Ledbetter Wilson, passed away peacefully this morning at home. She was a force of nature and one of the strongest women you could come by,” the began by writing.
“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,” the children continued.
Their message 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.”
Wilson and Ledbetter’s relationship was documented in the 2014 movie Love & Mercy. The biopic starred Paul Dano as a young Wilson and John Cusack and Elizabeth Banks as the older Wilson and Ledbetter, respectively.
Watch the trailer below.
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