The Beach Boys were led by Brian Wilson. Indeed, Brian Wilson was the Beach Boys. He largely wrote, performed, and produced the recordings they made in the 1960s, from “ Surfin’ ” in 1961 to “ Do It Again ” in 1968—the latter filled with nostalgia for a time in their lives that was then no more than five years in the past (a foretaste of their later career as purveyors of harmless memories)—and his voice,

John Stamos said he was the first to tell Mike Love about the death of the Beach Boys singer's cousin and bandmate Brian Wilson: 'His face went blank.'

For the last quarter-century, no one shared more musical moments with Brian Wilson than Darian Sahanaja, who was part of the Beach Boys architect's solo band from his return to live shows in 1999 through his final tour dates in 2022.

“Brian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special. The notes he heard in his head and passed to us were simple and brilliant at the same time. I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while. How we will continue without Brian Wilson, ‘God Only Knows.’”