Brian has been placed in a conservatorship (likely suffering from dementia)

[Rocky Raccoon]

Brian's social media team put out a statement:

Following the passing of Brian’s beloved wife Melinda, after careful consideration and consultation among Brian, his seven children, Gloria Ramos and Brian’s doctors (and consistent with family processes put in place by Brian and Melinda), we are confirming that longtime Wilson family representatives LeeAnn Hard and Jean Sievers will serve as Brian’s co-conservators of the person.

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.

Brian will be able to enjoy all of his family and friends and continue to work on current projects as well as participate in any activities he chooses.

The Wilson family

There have also been reports that Brian is suffering from dementia but this hasn’t been specifically confirmed outside of quasi-tabloid sources like Yahoo and The Daily Mail, still it seems very likely given the statement. Damn.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/beach-boys-brian-wilson-suffering-004837002.html

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Dammit

[juggler]

It's very sad if Brian is now dealing with dementia on top of the mental health issues he's battled for decades. Prayers for him.
But it's certainly nothing new for Brian to be under conservatorship.  Following the Landy debacle Brian was under conservatorship for at least a half-dozen years, until, if I recall correctly, it was determined that Brian, married to Melinda, no longer needed a conservator.
I assume that Carnie and Wendy (as well as the older "D" kids) are okay with Sievers and Hurd running things, because, as Brian's adult children they'd certainly be in a position to object if they were unhappy with the arrangement.
It's certainly not really any of our business as fans, but nonetheless, considering how normally chatty Carnie is on social media, I'd feel better about the situation if she'd chime in on all this at some point with words of assurance (e.g., "My dad is getting good care. Wendy and I are satisfied with his arrangements" etc.

[Wrightfan]

Not the news I wanted to hear before I went to bed. I just hope he's kept as comfortable as possible.

We love you Brian.

[Shady]

My heart is broken

[Needleinthehay]

This article had a  lot info about it. Worth reading.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/beach-boys-brian-wilson-suffering-004837002.html

Hard to feel anything but sympathy for someone like him with all he’s been through and all the mike loves and landys and murrys mistreating him still always has seemed like such a sweet/kind hearted guy.

[send me a picture and i'll tell you]

This breaks my heart.

[SBN (South Bay Native)]

Heartbreaking. Prayers for Brian and his family.

[rab2591]

Heartbreaking. Prayers for Brian and his family.

Indeed. One of those paragraphs in particular (in the Yahoo article) is very hard to read. I hope he can find happiness and comfort from his support group, family & friends who are all caring for him.

[Pretty Funky]

All the very best to Brian and his family as he faces yet another challenge in a lifetime of challenges with many success’s. He appears to have love and support around him and I think finally the ‘Heroes’ have far outnumbered the ‘Villains’.
Thank you for everything you have given us.
Love and Mercy

[Rocker]

Well, Brian has reached a certain age when things like dementia become a possibility. I'm sure Melinda's passing also caused Brian to lose a lot of strength and that his body and psyche are not capable anymore to fight these things. I wish him all the best and hope that he can still live in a way that brings him some kind of joy and satisfaction. The man has been through so much. We love you, Brian!

[HeyJude]

I think we should be grateful that there are people around him that truly care about him and are looking after all of his best interests, both (and most obviously importantly) from a personal/medical standpoint, and also all the business stuff.

I don't want to go too much into it for many reasons, and I don't say this out of pedantry or anything else, but I know some folks have been hearing for some time now some details about some of Brian's challenges as described in this article. This is not, as far as I'm aware, an abrupt thing, but rather has been ongoing for some time. Melinda's passing is obviously just extra awful, awful timing.

I know that article and all of these latest court maneuvers and whatnot seem scary and traumatic, but from every sense I have, this is a best case scenario given all of the circumstances. Brian has a huge family and a business team that truly cares about him, understands his deal, and will act in his best interests across the board.

[pixletwin]

Love to Brian and family. This is, no doubt, a very difficult time for all of them. I hope they are able to maintain a standard of comfort for Brian.

[SMiLE-addict]

Read about this a short while ago, have no words. :-( My heart goes out to Brian and his family.

Frankly, after Melinda passed I was halfway wondering if Brian might be going downhill, sooner if not later.

[Pablo.]

Sadly, via an email to The New York Times, Jean Sivers has confirmed the diagnosis. There will be a hearing on April 30.

Even before Melinda's untimely death, I wasn't expecting any recording or performance by Brian. We can't be so selfish. The man had earned his retirement. I just wonder if music will help him as therapy, as it did for Tony Bennett.

Last week it was Robert Wyatt. Now, Brian. So sad.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Ive been debating on whether to post this, but … I think this is the reason why his tour was postponed a few years back. I know there was a lot of debate on why he was continuing to tour , but I think now we know for sure .

This is extremely depressing but we knew this day would come eventually. Doesn’t make it any easier though

[Robbie Mac]

I’m not surprised since he had been showing signs in recent years.  I’m glad that of the 30 times that I’ve seen him perform, most of those nights were good nights for Brian.  He absolutely deserved every bit of his 23 year victory lap.  I’m also glad to see him surrounded by people who know him best and will make him feel comfortable in his current state.

[Wirestone]

This all makes me wonder. Not wonder about Brian's bravery and determination, for he has those to spare.

But I wonder about me, and about so many of us who wanted to see Brian do well. If I look back honestly, the shows I saw him do in 2009 were incredible -- the best ever -- but even the BB50 dates didn't quite reach that level. And everyone could see that he was lagging by the 2013 Beck tour, and each subsequent jaunt saw him do a little worse. Yes, he would rally time after time, and you could always see some of the old spirit and verve. But he was growing older, and the performances objectively declined.

Then we come to 2022, and anyone who saw those shows knew something was seriously wrong. Perhaps it had started a couple of years earlier with the back surgery, but no one could deny the difficulty that he now faced. And I just wonder. Should we have been firmer about pushing back from 2015-2019, when it was clear he was doing okay -- broadly speaking -- but going through the motions a bit at the shows? I hate to think that we encouraged him to go out when he was scared and unprepared and uncomprehending.

Who knows. Perhaps he wanted it. I'm sure at times he did. But I think those of us who love him, those of us devoted to this man's music, have to be a little self critical now. I wish it wasn't true. But it is.

[Robbie Mac]

I’m torn, myself. 

[rab2591]

This all makes me wonder. Not wonder about Brian's bravery and determination, for he has those to spare.

But I wonder about me, and about so many of us who wanted to see Brian do well. If I look back honestly, the shows I saw him do in 2009 were incredible -- the best ever -- but even the BB50 dates didn't quite reach that level. And everyone could see that he was lagging by the 2013 Beck tour, and each subsequent jaunt saw him do a little worse. Yes, he would rally time after time, and you could always see some of the old spirit and verve. But he was growing older, and the performances objectively declined.

Then we come to 2022, and anyone who saw those shows knew something was seriously wrong. Perhaps it had started a couple of years earlier with the back surgery, but no one could deny the difficulty that he now faced. And I just wonder. Should we have been firmer about pushing back form 2015-2019, when it was clear he was doing okay broadly speaking but going through the motions a bit at the shows? I hate to think that we encouraged him to go out when he was scared and unprepared and uncomprehending.

Who knows. Perhaps he wanted it. But I think those of us who love him, those of us devoted to this man's music, have to be a little self critical now. I wish it wasn't true. But it is.

I see where you’re coming from, Wirestone. You’re one of the few in The Beach Boys world whom I hold a lot of respect/trust for your insights, information, and thoughts, so I do not take what you wrote above lightly. We care for and love Brian, and I think that’s why we’re so passionate about our viewpoints. I honestly don’t know what the right answer is, but here are my thoughts:

At the end of the day, it was up to Brian, Melinda, and his doctors. But ultimately up to Brian. I’ve heard it many times, and wonder how much of it is true, but the statement “Brian isn’t going to do anything he doesn’t want to do.” comes to mind.

If Brian was scared and didn’t want to face the fear, he wouldn’t have performed. If Brian would’ve rather stayed at home watching TV, he wouldn’t have performed. And honestly when he stopped touring most recently, I think that was Brian finally saying he had to stop.

Now, for those recent years he was performing, you have to ask, okay maybe Brian wanted to perform but is that in his best interest given his age, mental fragility, limited mobility, etc? I’d honestly say yes (and I wonder if his support staff including doctors also agreed with this). I’d imagine that those support people around him saw that Brian being active was good for his mental and physical health. You stay at home watching TV all day with no purpose you’re going to check out rather quick. I honestly think that Brian liked being on the road, and thus that’s what he did and it kept him active and alert and physically moving (even if it was from the bus to a chair). As someone watching a loved one currently die of late-stage Alzheimer’s, I can without a doubt say that I’d rather see this person out and about smelling the roses (while they can), than cooped up indoors watching movies on Lifetime.

No, I don’t think we should have been firmer in pushback. Why? Because we are fans who have no idea what is happening in Brian’s head, we don’t sit in on appointments with Brian’s support team at UCLA. We aren’t Brian Wilson.

What I do know is that Brian’s path in life has led him to this point now. Brian Wilson, the once 300+ pound cocaine addicted, prisoner of Landy, mind shattered by LSD, hears voices of negativity, taken to court countless times, taken advantage of countless times, etc etc…that man is still alive at 81. And for the last 30 years he has been on a healthy course of life: making music, putting smiles on countless audience goers, facing his fears. And that path also includes his last years of touring.

No, if collective “fans” had any say in how Brian had run his life for the last 30 years then I doubt Brian would be alive right now. I think everything that happened to Brian was meant to happen to Brian - the good, the bad. But the last 30 years, at moments sometimes imperfect, I think have been the best situation Brian could have ever found himself in. And even his last years on tour, he was out there trying - trying to recapture youth? Trying to make his audience happy? Trying to live another day.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

This all makes me wonder. Not wonder about Brian's bravery and determination, for he has those to spare.

But I wonder about me, and about so many of us who wanted to see Brian do well. If I look back honestly, the shows I saw him do in 2009 were incredible -- the best ever -- but even the BB50 dates didn't quite reach that level. And everyone could see that he was lagging by the 2013 Beck tour, and each subsequent jaunt saw him do a little worse. Yes, he would rally time after time, and you could always see some of the old spirit and verve. But he was growing older, and the performances objectively declined.

Then we come to 2022, and anyone who saw those shows knew something was seriously wrong. Perhaps it had started a couple of years earlier with the back surgery, but no one could deny the difficulty that he now faced. And I just wonder. Should we have been firmer about pushing back form 2015-2019, when it was clear he was doing okay broadly speaking but going through the motions a bit at the shows? I hate to think that we encouraged him to go out when he was scared and unprepared and uncomprehending.

Who knows. Perhaps he wanted it. But I think those of us who love him, those of us devoted to this man's music, have to be a little self critical now. I wish it wasn't true. But it is.

I see where you’re coming from, Wirestone. You’re one of the few in The Beach Boys world whom I hold a lot of respect/trust for your insights, information, and thoughts, so I do not take what you wrote above lightly. We care for and love Brian, and I think that’s why we’re so passionate about our viewpoints. I honestly don’t know what the right answer is, but here are my thoughts:

At the end of the day, it was up to Brian, Melinda, and his doctors. But ultimately up to Brian. I’ve heard it many times, and wonder how much of it is true, but the statement “Brian isn’t going to do anything he doesn’t want to do.” comes to mind.

If Brian was scared and didn’t want to face the fear, he wouldn’t have performed. If Brian would’ve rather stayed at home watching TV, he wouldn’t have performed. And honestly when he stopped touring most recently, I think that was Brian finally saying he had to stop.

Now, for those recent years he was performing, you have to ask, okay maybe Brian wanted to perform but is that in his best interest given his age, mental fragility, limited mobility, etc? I’d honestly say yes (and I wonder if his support staff including doctors also agreed with this). I’d imagine that those support people around him saw that Brian being active was good for his mental and physical health. You stay at home watching TV all day with no purpose you’re going to check out rather quick. I honestly think that Brian liked being on the road, and thus that’s what he did and it kept him active and alert and physically moving (even if it was from the bus to a chair). As someone watching a loved one currently die of late-stage Alzheimer’s, I can without a doubt say that I’d rather see this person out and about smelling the roses (while they can), than cooped up indoors watching movies on Lifetime.

No, I don’t think we should have been firmer in pushback. Why? Because we are fans who have no idea what is happening in Brian’s head, we don’t sit in on appointments with Brian’s support team at UCLA. We aren’t Brian Wilson.

What I do know is that Brian’s path in life has led him to this point now. Brian Wilson, the once 300+ pound cocaine addicted, prisoner of Landy, mind shattered by LSD, hears voices of negativity, taken to court countless times, taken advantage of countless times, etc etc…that man is still alive at 81. And for the last 30 years he has been on a healthy course of life: making music, putting smiles on countless audience goers, facing his fears. And that path also includes his last years of touring.

No, if collective “fans” had any say in how Brian had run his life for the last 30 years then I doubt Brian would be alive right now. I think everything that happened to Brian was meant to happen to Brian - the good, the bad. But the last 30 years, at moments sometimes imperfect, I think have been the best situation Brian could have ever found himself in. And even his last years on tour, he was out there trying - trying to recapture youth? Trying to make his audience happy? Trying to live another day.

My thoughts exactly.

[SMiLE Brian]

Thank him

[Pablo.]

About the back surgery aftereffects, which Brian made clear in 2019, I remembered what happened to Peter Falk. I will paste the Wikipedia paragraph:

In December 2008 it was reported that Falk had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.[62] In June 2009, at a two-day conservatorship trial in Los Angeles, one of Falk's personal physicians, Dr. Stephen Read, reported he had rapidly slipped into dementia after a series of dental operations in 2007.[63] Dr. Read said it was unclear whether Falk's condition had worsened as a result of anesthesia or some other reaction to the operations. Shera Danese Falk was appointed as her husband's conservator.

[jeremylr]

I am encouraged by the very final paragraph of Rolling Stone’s coverage on Brian’s predicament……

“I got to visit and spend time with Brian a few days after his wife passed,” Jason Fine, Wilson’s longtime friend who collaborated with Wilson on the documentary ‘Long Promised Road’, says. “He was sad, but typically stoic. We spent time watching clips from the Beatles rooftop concert. He told me he’d love to get his mind off things and go to a Lakers game.”

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/beach-boys-brian-wilson-dementia-conservatorship-1234969384/amp/

[juggler]

I am encouraged by the very final paragraph of Rolling Stone’s coverage on Brian’s predicament……

“I got to visit and spend time with Brian a few days after his wife passed,” Jason Fine, Wilson’s longtime friend who collaborated with Wilson on the documentary ‘Long Promised Road’, says. “He was sad, but typically stoic. We spent time watching clips from the Beatles rooftop concert. He told me he’d love to get his mind off things and go to a Lakers game.”

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/beach-boys-brian-wilson-dementia-conservatorship-1234969384/amp/

I'm encouraged by Jason's report.  Jason is a straight shooter.