For John Stamos, Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson “didn’t just soundtrack” his life, the legendary founder of California rock “filled it with color, with wonder, with some of the most unforgettable, emotional, joyful moments I’ve ever known.”
Following news of Wilson death at the age of 82, Stamos honored the Beach Boys‘ chief songwriter in a tribute shared to social media on Wednesday. “It’s hard to put into words what it meant to stand beside him, laugh with him, play his music with him,” wrote Stamos, who played frequently with the group. “Brian wasn’t just a musical genius, he was a gentle, soulful, funny, complex, beautiful man. He heard things no one else could hear. He felt things deeper than most of us ever will. And somehow, he turned all of that into music that wrapped itself around the world and made us all feel less alone.”
Stamos said that he “grew up worshipping the Beach Boys” and never imagined that one day he’d “get to play with them, let alone call Brian a friend.” The musician-actor, who performed with the band on the set of Full House and appeared in their music videos, said that the 1966 album Pet Sounds and its singles “God Only Knows” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” not only played “in the background of our lives, they shaped who we were.”
“They shaped who I became,” continued Stamos. “His music made me feel things I didn’t know how to say. It made me want to make people feel the way his music made me feel. So much of my life and career, so much of me, exists because of what Brian created.” Stamos was among the numerous celebrities who shared tributes remembering Wilson, including Mick Fleetwood, Elton John, Nancy Sinatra, and surviving Beach Boys co-founders Mike Love and Al Jardine.
Toward the end of his post, Stamos recalled Wilson once saying, “Music is God’s voice.” Stamos wrote, “I believe he was right, and now that voice, his voice, is part of the divine chorus. The music didn’t end.
Rest easy, Brian. Thank you for the music. Thank you for the moments. I’ll carry them with me -forever.”
