Brian Wilson today is not the same man fans will see thriving in The Beach Boys documentary airing on Disney+.
While the film shows the celebrated band in their early years through to superstardom, it also shows the original members as they are today. For Brian, that sadly means a father and loved one struggling with dementia.
How is he doing now? Better than you’d think, given the circumstances
Brian Wilson (at the piano), along with Al Jardine, Mike Love, David Marks and Bruce Johnston. The group performed during the Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Concert Tour at the Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater on April 24, 2012 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Moore/Getty Images)
Brian Wilson Today & His Health Battles
Brian Wilson sadly suffers from a major neurocognitive disorder, and in early May 2024, was placed under a conservatorship
A judge in Los Angeles ruled that his conservators would be two longtime associates: his manager, LeeAnn Hard, and his publicist, Jean Sievers.
Given his condition, which has been likened to dementia, the judge also ruled that Brian’s seven children will be consulted by the conservators regarding major health care decisions and kept informed on their father’s condition.
Yet despite the decline in his health, Brian was on hand to celebrate the release of The Beach Boys, a new Disney+ documentary chronicling the bands rise to superstardom.
(L-R) Al Jardine, David Marks, Frank Marshall, Brian Wilson, Blondie Chaplin, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston attend the world premiere of Disney+ documentary “The Beach Boys” at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Brian Wilson’s Rare Red Carpet Appearance
At the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, original Beach Boys member Brian Wilson received a standing ovation on Tuesday May 21. He arrived in a wheelchair and was quickly reunited with the other members of the legendary band.
Brian’s daughters, Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson, attended the world premiere with their dad, and were open about his health and conservatorship.
“He is doing great! He is doing great. Everyday he is in physical therapy. I’m cooking for him, he’s spending a lot of time with his children now, his family,” Carnie told ET.
“I think he’s doing really good under the circumstances that he’s going through right now,” agreed Wendy, unsurprised by his courage.
“But, you know, he’s a survivor. That’s my dad. He’s very tough, a very strong person,” Wendy added.
The Conservatorship
In this case, there doesn’t seem to be a need for a Free Britney level campaign.
Brian’s late wife, Melinda Ledbetter, was the Beach Boys hitmaker’s caretaker for many years. However, after her passing in January, the petition was filed to appoint Brian’s business manager and publicist as co-conservators.
According to the filing, obtained by ET, it is his psychiatrist’s belief that Brian lacks the capacity to give informed consent to medical treatment.
Carnie and Wendy are Brian’s two children from his first marriage to Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford, which ended in 1981. Brian later wed Melinda Ledbetter in 1995 and they adopted Daria, Dakota, Delanie, Dash and Dylan. They were together nearly 30 years before her passing.
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