Brian Wilson, who was the front man for the band The Beach Boys, met Melinda Kae Ledbetter back in 1986. They dated off and on for several years before eventually getting married in 1995. They remained married and adopted five children.

On Tuesday January 30, 2024, in a post on Instagram, Wilson broke the sad news that his wife has died. According to TMZ, she was 77 years old.

In the post, Wilson writes that he and his children “are lost” and “in tears.” He wrote, “My heart is broken. Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning.” He added, “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.”

After Wilson’s announcement, in the caption of the same post, there was also a message from Wilson’s children. This message explains that Ledbetter “passed away peacefully this morning at home.”

Her children went on to praise their mother for all of her positive qualities. They wrote, “She was not only a model, our fathers savior, and a mother, she was a woman empowered by her spirit with a mission to better everyone she touched.” They added that she taught them “How to take care of the person next to you with out 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.”

Wilson’s relationship with his wife was explored cinematically in the 2015 movie “Love & Mercy.” In the biopic, Wilson is played by John  Cusack, and his wife is played by Elizabeth Banks.

Wilson’s announcement about his wife’s death did not include a cause of death. She is survived by her husband and children.