Dennis Wilson’s tragic final Christmas
The Beach Boys emerged in the 1960s with their surf-related songs, immersing listeners in a world of sun and sea. The band released countless albums over the years before Brian Wilson took the reigns for Pet Sounds, which is considered one of the most significant albums in pop history.
While Wilson has been the subject of his own biopic, Love and Mercy, it was his brother, Dennis Wilson, who had the most interesting and tragic life. The drummer sometimes sang on certain tracks, such as ‘Little Bird’, and even released a solo album in 1977 called Pacific Ocean Blue. Out of all his bandmates, he was the only one who could surf, and he was also the one who came closest to embodying the ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll’ stereotype.
The musician even found himself involved with Charles Manson (letting the cult leader live in his house) during the late ‘60s, introducing him to Terry Melcher. The music producer lived at 10050 Cielo Drive, moving out before Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate could move in. Subsequently, the house became the site of Tate’s murder, alongside four other people on the property. Wilson had worked closely with Manson, who wanted to hone a music career, although he eventually distanced himself from discussing the Manson Family after the string of murders.
In fact, the criminal reportedly sent Wilson death threats and demanded money from Wilson shortly after the murders, leaving him terrified and guilt-ridden. Biographers such as Mark Dillon suggest that his association with Manson led to his subsequent downward spiral and drug abuse.
The drummer spent the last few years of his life abusing substances so heavily that he was unable to speak properly and was banished from The Beach Boys. He married Love’s supposed daughter Shawn, who was just 19 and had a child with her in 1982. However, the following year turned out to be his last, and he died just a few days after Christmas in 1983.
Wilson had been in and out of rehab for the remaining few months of his life, including his last Christmas, checking out of a Santa Monica centre that evening to visit his wife and child. However, within a few days, he was back in hospital – this time to treat wounds that he received from a drunken fight at a pub.
Eventually, he went and spent time on his friend’s boat, which was docked where his old boat, Harmony, used to live. Here, he had the idea to go diving, hoping to find items he had previously thrown off Harmony, many of which belonged to his ex-wife. Yet, this would prove a tragic mistake. He got a little too ambitious, and he soon drowned on December 28th, 1983. His last Christmas was a hopeful one, yet he unfortunately lost his life at the age of 39.
