Brian Wilson is being remembered by his onscreen counterpart, John Cusack. Wilson, the iconic founding member of The Beach Boys, died at age 82 after a battle with dementia, as announced today by his family. The Wilson estate wrote on Instagram, “We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy.”
Cusack took to social media to remember the legendary singer and songwriter. Cusack portrayed Wilson in 2014 biopic “Love & Mercy,” named after Wilson’s first solo album.
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“The maestro has passed – the man was a open heart with two legs – with an ear that heard the angels. Quite literally,” Cusack tweeted. “Love and Mercy for you and yours tonight . RIP Brian.” He also shared a photo saying, “Brian wrote down the lyrics of love and mercy for me.”
“Love & Mercy” also starred Paul Dano as a younger version of Wilson, with Cusack playing him through the present day. Dano told IndieWire at the time that it was a “risk” for Wilson to agree to the biopic which in part depicted his battle with mental illness. Co-star Cusack agreed, saying, “He [Wilson] feels your feelings and intentions and it’s almost like his antenna is so big, he can feel people in an intense way. You can be talking all you want, but he’s going to listen to what’s coming from your heart.”
Cusack continued, “Brian doesn’t really have cynical parts of him. He’s a better person than I am. He lived his life, and we tried to make the movie rise up to him.”
Cusack today was joined by fellow stars to remember “Pet Sounds” singer Wilson. Sean Ono Lennon, who is consulting on the four-part Beatles film based on his late father John Lennon’s life, wrote that he is “heartbroken” over Wilson’s death. “Anyone who really knows me knows how heartbroken I am about Brian Wilson passing. Not many people influenced me as much as he did,” Lennon said. “I feel very lucky that I was able to meet him and spend some time with him. He was always very kind and generous. He was our American Mozart. A one of a kind genius from another world.”
Actor Wendell Pierce also wrote a tribute to Wilson, writing, “Brian Wilson RIP 82 years old Troubled life Gotta put on Love & Mercy …I was lying in my room And the news came on TV A lotta people out there hurtin’ And it really scares me Love and mercy, that’s what you need tonight Love and mercy to you and your friends tonight…”
