Inside Brian Wilson's Health Battles Following His Death: Deafness, Major Neurocognitive Disorder and More

Behind his groundbreaking music, Brian Wilson's life was marked by decades of health struggles.

The Beach Boys co-founder had partial deafness in his right ear from a young age, though he had offered different reasons as to how he developed the condition.

In 1991, he told People his father, Murry Wilson, hit him with a "two-by-four" that "caused deafness in my right ear."

''[My] childhood and adolescence were very sad times in my life, because I always had to turn my head to hear things, trying to imagine where those voices were coming from," he added.

Brian's comment resonated with what he wrote in his 2016 memoir, I Am Brian Wilson, in which he said his father was "violent" and "cruel." In the same book, he revealed he got involved in a violent incident with another kid.

He detailed, "When I was out playing in my neighborhood, between my house and another, a kid hit me in the head with a lead pipe. His name was Seymour, I think, either his first or his last."

"The feeling was just shock at first, but the next day I realized that I couldn't hear as well out of my right ear. I told my mom and she took me to the doctor, who examined me and said that the eighth nerve in my head was severed," Brian added. "I say that my right ear's completely deaf, though doctors are more specific. Some say 98 percent and some say 95 percent."

He was later diagnosed with nerve impingement of his right ear, per reports.

Amid The Beach Boys' popularity in the 1960s, he suffered a nervous breakdown that led him to quit touring. He was also diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder years after he began experiencing auditory hallucinations when he was in his 20s.

He explained to Ability in 2006, "For the past 40 years I've had auditory hallucinations in my head, all day every day, and I can't get them out. Every few minutes the voices say something derogatory to me, which discourages me a little bit, but I have to be strong enough to say to them, 'Hey, would you quit stalking me? F--- off! Don't talk to me—leave me alone!'"

At the time, Brian told the magazine the "voices" made it difficult for him to go on stage as "they" told him negative things about himself.

"Even today, when I sing I have to force myself not listen to them. But when the concert is over, the voices come back," he added.

According to Brian, he "knew right from the start something was wrong" as he began hearing voices a week after he took psychedelic drugs for the first time.

Detailing what happened, he said, "Well, I took a lot of amphetamines and a lot of downers. The cocaine and marijuana and all the rest of the stuff I took really messed with my brain. I couldn't tell reality from fantasy. Drugs will mess with your head! If there is one thing I could go back in my life and change, I wouldn't have taken drugs. But it's too late to turn back now."

In the 1970s, his then-wife, Marilyn Rovell, employed Dr. Eugene Landy to help address his drug, weight and behavioral issues. However, his family sued the physician after they found out he was misdiagnosed and overmedicated at that time.

Years later, Brian finally managed to get off the drugs with his friends' support and remained clean for decades until his death. He also realized that music helped him beat his mental health problems.

"When I'm on stage, I try to combat the voices by singing really loud," he told Ability. "When I'm not on stage, I play my instruments all day, making music for people. Also, I kiss my wife and kiss my kids. I try to use love as much as possible."

In a 2012 post on Tumblr, Brian revealed he underwent surgery to correct a lower back problem before The Beach Boys' scheduled 50th anniversary tour. He had another "cutting-edge" procedure to correct the "hereditary" condition after their show's last run in Australia.

"I feel so much better already and can't wait to get back to my second home, London!!" he assured his fans in the update.

Brian had another immediate back surgery in 2018, which prompted him to postpone several live shows.

After struggling with health issues for years, Brian's well-being improved as his second wife, Melinda Ledbetter, "got him to see the right doctors."

"She's provided a family environment for him. They actually do things together," Brian's longtime friend Jeff Foskett said of Melinda in a 2012 interview with People.

The singer-songwriter continued to see a therapist, noting, "On my good days I feel creative, I laugh a lot, I go to my piano and play… Some days I don't feel creative and I don't talk to anybody."

The Songwriters Hall of Famer experienced profound grief when Melinda died in January 2024 at the age of 77.

"Melinda was more than my wife," he said in a statement, revealing he felt "lost" without her. "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. Love and Mercy Brian."

Following Melinda's death, his family filed for a conservatorship as he was suffering from a "major neurocognitive disorder (such as dementia)." They added Melinda cared for him since was "unable to properly provide for his own personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter" at the time. His representatives LeeAnn Hard and Jean Sievers were assigned as co-conservators.

"This decision was made to ensure that there will be no extreme changes to the household and Brian and the children living at home will be taken care of and remain in the home where they are cared for by Gloria Ramos and the wonderful team at the house who have been in place for many years helping take care of the family," said Brian's family.

According to his doctor, he began taking medication to slow the "progression of illness."

Just over a year later, Brian died at the age of 82.