The Smiley Smile Message Board

3/18/17  08:00 PM

Autopsy: The Last Hours of...

Dennis Wilson   
 
Dennis Wilson was the golden boy drummer for the Beach Boys. His good looks, adrenaline junkie attitude and musical prowess made him one of the great heart throbs of rock and roll. But how did an avid surfer end up drowning in less than 15 feet of water? Forensic Pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter examines Dennis's autopsy report to dispel the rumours, and reveal the real cause of the drummer's tragic and untimely death at the age of 39.

Thanks, Ed. Will not miss this. I was wondering when his story would be featured.

I hope they repeat this on the following Sunday or Monday, since I'lll be out of town that Saturday with no access to Reelz and I don't have a dvr. DAMN!

I gotta set my DVR....

Hurry Billy....

I am going a hockey game that night. But I will back before 10:00 to watch this event my idol on Reelz TV, I am going nuts Like Dennis Wilson Right now

I got 11 days :lol

Nah, will do it when I get home

Really looking forward to this, Ed!  :hat

I find it really ironic that ABC is doing that documentary the night before this show, too.  Two nights in a row of Dennis on TV, maybe not for the best reasons, but you do know what they say about publicity...  And anything that helps to draw more attention to his music, right?

Beach Boy Dennis Wilson’s Death Examined On Upcoming Episode Of ‘Autopsy’
MUSIC NEWS March 10, 2017 ,

Autopsy: The Last Hours Of. . . Dennis Wilson will air on the Reelz network on March 18th at 8:00 p.m. The special examines Beach Boy Dennis Wilson’s premature death at age 39, following years of substance abuse issues. Wilson’s autopsy report is examined by forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter — with Wilson’s life discussed by Beach Boys co-founder David Marks, Wilson’s partner and best friend Ed Roach, and biographer Jon Stebbins. Check your local listings for stations.

Beach Boy David Marks grew up across the street from Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson in Hawthorne, California and shed light on what Dennis was like in his formative years: “Well, Dennis, everyone loved Dennis because he. . . he always made people feel like they were special. No matter who you were, or whatever. Y’know, the bum on the street — Dennis made him feel special. But on the other hand, you never knew what to expect from him. He could, just at the same time, punch you in the stomach for no reason. But, usually, he would beat kids up for a reason. He usually had a reason, y’know? And most of the time it was protecting Carl and me from, y’know, bullies. That’s when he usually stepped in to fight.”

Dennis Wilson drowned on December 28th, 1983, in Marina Del Rey, California just weeks after his 39th birthday.


http://www.wxhc.com/?p=26013

Here's the full, unedited piece that ran in my syndicated feed. . .

BEACH BOY DENNIS WILSON'S DEATH EXAMINED ON UPCOMING EPISODE OF 'AUTOPSY' - (03/09/2017)

Autopsy: The Last Hours Of. . . Dennis Wilson will air on the Reelz network on March 18th at 8:00 p.m. The special examines Beach Boy Dennis Wilson's premature death at age 39, following years of substance abuse issues. Wilson's autopsy report is examined by forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter -- with Wilson's life discussed by Beach Boys co-founder David Marks, Wilson's partner and best friend Ed Roach, and biographer Jon Stebbins. Check your local listings for stations.

Beach Boy David Marks grew up across the street from Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson in Hawthorne, California and shed light on what Dennis was like in his formative years: “Well, Dennis, everyone loved Dennis because he. . . he always made people feel like they were special. No matter who you were, or whatever. Y’know, the bum on the street -- Dennis made him feel special. But on the other hand, you never knew what to expect from him. He could, just at the same time, punch you in the stomach for no reason. But, usually, he would beat kids up for a reason. He usually had a reason, y’know? And most of the time it was protecting Carl and me from, y’know, bullies. That’s when he usually stepped in to fight.”

Recently released is Son Of A Beach Boy, co-written by Dennis Wilson's oldest child, Scott Wilson. Although he idolized his dad, Scott Wilson -- now a proud father of two daughters -- explained that structure was not one of Dennis' attributes as a parent. We asked him how Dennis Wilson -- an incorrigible boy-man -- would discipline his own child: “He doesn’t. He never did. He laughed. He joked. ‘Scotty, get it together. Mom’s not happy. Come on, let’s go have a good time.' There’s a lot of stuff in my book about me going on tour with him and Terry Melcher, to Canada, to Hawaii, across the States, Charles Manson leaving a bullet for me, threatening to kill me. So on and so forth. It’s all in there. I didn’t sugarcoat nothin.’”
 
Dennis Wilson drowned on December 28th, 1983, in Marina Del Rey, California just weeks after his 39th birthday.

DID YOU KNOW???

In recent years, it's come to light that Dennis Wilson's greatest success was in co-writing the Joe Cocker hit "You Are So Beautiful" with Billy Preston in 1974, for which he did not receive a credit.

Witnesses who were there the night the song was written have gone on record claiming that Dennis contributed integral portions to "You Are So Beautiful".

Dennis went on to perform the song at nearly every Beach Boys show, starting in 1975, and told numerous people that he indeed did co-write the song.

FAST FACTS

Back in November, Beach Boys fans were in for a thrill during the final scene and end credits of Sarah Jessica Parker's new hit HBO drama Divorce, when Dennis Wilson's melancholy voice brought the episode to a close.

The song, "You And I," has long been beloved by fans of Wilson's breathtaking 1977 solo debut, Pacific Ocean Blue, which features the chorus of "no more lonely nights" -- a song that undoubtedly inspired none other than Paul McCartney seven years later for his 1984 Top 10 hit using those same four words.

"You And I," which Wilson co-wrote with then-wife Karen Lamm and longtime collaborator Gregg Jakobson, can be found on the critically acclaimed expanded 2008 reissue of Pacific Ocean Blue, which is now paired with Wilson's long unreleased second solo set, Bambu.

Although it failed to chart at the time, "You And I" served as the second single pulled from Pacific Ocean Blue.

"You and I/Friday Night" was the only single in the U.S.

"River Song/Farewell My Friend" was the UK and European single.

Thanks to Ed and Howie for the update and promo on the TV show.

Loving the write-up about Denny in this thread.  I hope can find this documentary online.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGMmmemkPPg

Thanks for all the updates on this!  :)

Will this be shown on the UK does anyone know?

did anyone watch this? i cant get REELZ tv and cant find it online anywhere. Curious if anyone saw it?

Ditto here - I hope someone captured the video, since it's not apparently available online on the official Reelz site :/ I'd happily sit through some advertisements to be able to stream it if Reelz would get with the program...

I'm sure it'll be available to to watch via YouTube soon, if not uploaded via a stream site.

It looks as if this will re-air on REELZ on March 22 - at least up here in the northeast with Xfinity. It is on channel 340 at 9:00pm...

I don't get cable - it would be SO choice if someone could record this somehow (pretty please!)

This is being rebroadcast n the north Jersey area on Wednesday night March 22nd at 9 o'clock and later again that evening. Channel 177 on Optimum

I saw it. The program focused mainly on determining just what caused Dennis' death. Went through various scenarios, debunking most of them, including foul play or suicide.
The coroner guy made his own determination after studying the autopsy report. Don't know if anyone wants to know his answer (if anyone would consider it to be a "spoiler"). It's a fairly rare cause of death.
Good commentary by Ed Roach and Jon Stebbins.

One thing mentioned that I only knew of from reading Scott Wilson's book, although I assume long time BB fans already knew this: Dennis had a panic attack/breakdown while on tour, was sent home and was hospitalized briefly. Does anyone know when this took place?
Also, autopsy report indicated that Dennis had numerous old scars throughout his body. The coroner guy surmised that these scars came from Murry.

Sounds horrible.

Give me the BBC doc from 2008 any day.

https://youtu.be/ClBfaGPD0mI

I hadn't heard about Dennis having a panic attack. Brian's similar attack is well known, of course, maybe because it fits better with his image as the fragile member of the group. I had always thought Dennis's issues with growing up with Murry manifested themselves differently.

Watched the show last night on Reelz....interesting, particularly the feedback from Eddie and John. I thought their commentary on Dennis, while revealing relatively little new information, provided more of a "real" element and made the show feel very authentic. The actor who portrayed Dennis really had little resemblance to him, at that stage of his life. The re enactments of what lead up to Denny's death felt a bit strained. Would have enjoyed more of a panel interview with folks from that time. But considering Denny's death occurred almost 34 years ago, and we're still talking about it and watching shows like this really attest to how so many of us are still touched by Dennis. Great job Eddie and John, and all others who participated on this event. The doctor who performed the autopsy review seemed genuine, and I was glad they quickly eliminated thins like foul play etc....which seemed a bit ridiculous.

I don't think there's a problem with reporting what the show mentioned. I'm pretty loathe to call real-life stuff "Spoilers." I'm curious what they reported as a rare cause of death.

Me too. This isn't a new Star Wars movie. I would very much like to know what was said.

Nothing too drastic or different really.....the doctor who performed the autopsy said he believed it was a relatively rare for of shallow water drowning(not really sure how they differs from drowning in general) which he said occurs in shallow water with excellent swimmers who are gasping for air. Again, the alcohol in his system, at .26, likely attributed to all of this, along with an enlarged liver from the alcohol, and that's what he said. Nothing outlandish. It's very similar to what has been reported and what many of us thought.....at least that was my take on it.

Sorry if I ruined or "spoiled" the ending for others, but seems most who couldn't watch it wanted to know and like I said, it was determined it was a form of drowning, which we al knew, along with the accompanying circumstances.

https://youtu.be/-CAb09WVfm4

On youtube! Watch soon in case it gets deleted

Thanks so much for posting this.

He indicated it was a cold water blackout and subsequent drowning.  Repeated dives, high blood alcohol levels, and reduced oxygen flow likely caused a blackout.  The cold water temp caused the body to consume oxygen more rapidly and the alcohol reduced his ability to realize his condition.

Yes Needle, thank you for posting the link.

It was interesting, no mention of Dennis hitting his head or being found curled up.  The reason for the drowning was very plausible and certainly well explained.  I learned something about Shallow Water Blackout and it is easy to see how it could happen.  As the pathologist said Dennis probably swan under the influence before so it was more than that.  The technique used for holding his breath over a prolonged period, led to the reduced oxygen, coupled with a reduction in CO2 means the body doesn't realise it needs more oxygen and just blacks out.  The damage to the brain has already occured and leads to brain damage or death within a few minutes, unless the victim is pulled from the water.  Then after the blackout the lungs open for air and get flooded with water, leading to drowning.  At least Dennis probably didn't suffer or know much about it.

People have speculated in the past about Dennis giving up.  It would be possible for a person to knowingly put themselves at risk of SWB but I don't think this happened with Dennis.  It was a tragic accident.

Here's more on SWB

http://www.shallowwaterblackoutprevention.org/how-it-happens/

Am I going mad, or did I not hear this correctly? Near the beginning of the show, the coroner (Michael Hunter) was saying that "taking a first look at Dennis' body... he has a strong swimmers physique for someone who's 39 years of age... and he looks in great shape. Then he said, "At first glance, I don't see any obvious reasons why he was found dead in the water just five days later."

Shouldn't that have been "five days earlier"? Unless the coroner was checking out Dennis five days prior to his death, of course. Besides being really creepy, if that was the case, I think REELZ would have immediately developed a show called "Michael Hunter: Psychic Coroner".

Seriously though, I think the better statement would have been "just 5 days after leaving St. Johns Rehab" or something similar. 

But then he also said, "Of all the Beach Boys, Dennis was the only one who actually surfed." I have read various accounts through the years where Mike, Al and Bruce also surfed. Perhaps nowhere near the level and proficiency of Dennis, but Mike recently said Bruce still surfs. Hey, Still Surfin'... they should write a song about... nevermind.

Brilliant! Thanks for posting!  :hat :hat

There's a difference between going surfing a couple of times and actually being a surfer, I guess. Dennis was the only one who was actually taken as authentic by the surf community.
Bruce was (and still is) of course also a surfer. But he's not an original Beach Boy. The story of Dennis being the only surfer in the group focuses on the original 5/6 guys.





Thanks for the link!
Although I am a little unsatisfied with what they say about the Beach Boys band, I think for a TV show this was good. It brings Dennis (and hopefully his music) into people's minds and also his tragic story.

This really is not meant tactlessly, but Dennis' death alone and the days leasing up to it would probably make an interesting movie. There's so much drama. It took me years to realize that him diving and coming up with old keepsakes was what actually did happen and not just a movie dramatization. And that whole sad ending to such a vibrant personality. 

Obviously there were several inaccurate statements made in this program.  And regarding being the only surfer, at this point I wish they'd say he was the only Wilson who surfed, as that would be a more accurate expression to make!  Seriously, though, with a show of this nature, there wasn't any way they weren't going to go after the sensationalistic aspects; that's how they draw an audience.  And I don't think we can ever hope for a show focusing on Dennis that doesn't touch on Manson in one way or another...

My biggest hope is that it does draw some new audience to his music, and the timing of this couldn't be better for this new release of "Bambu"!  So glad it's up on YouTube

And the Dr said he had a swimmers body? Wasn't Dennis way out of shape at this point in time ?

That was the first time I've ever seen an episode of this Autopsy show, and I'm sorry but I don't buy for a second that that forensic pathologist is an actual doctor. Where did he get his MD, the University of The Young and The Restless?  :lol The way he pulled his glasses out to read the "report"... oh come on.

And I feel like they borrowed details from Brian's life to fill out their story and create possible other "reasons" for what happened. I mean, I'm not saying Dennis couldn't have had anxiety but if he left the tour in the early days because of a panic attack, isn't that something that would be documented? That was the first time I ever heard of anything like that, and I feel like it's something that would be known.

But I agree that if this episode brings attention to Dennis and his music, that's a good thing and I suppose I shouldn't talk smack about it. I just disliked the way such a tragic event was recreated and treated.

Ed, did Dennis ever write songs on a guitar in real life?

(I saw the clip and chuckled when I saw the portrayal of Dennis with a guitar slung around his back ... then I thought, well maybe he did really write with a guitar!)

I wondered about that too Donny!  As he was practically homeless at that point in his life maybe he used the guitar!

I doubt in those days leading up to his death he was trying to write anything!

http://www.forensic-doc.com/id3.html

I did wonder that when watching. However, isn't there a picture of Dennis with a guitar just relaxing, maybe an SG? We all know this one from Party mind....

(http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y395/Rich199/dennis-wilson-guitar.jpg)

Think they've conflated two incidents (having to leave a tour & being hospitalised as a teenager) but it's in the earlier editions of Scott's book - (
Son Of A Beach Boy - Scott Wilson/Karen Powell 2015) from information provided by Carole (Scott's mum & Dennis first wife).

Screenshots from kindle cloud reader - linking rather than direct posting so people can choose whether they want to read it it.
(pos triggering).

Being sent home from tour
Page 1 (http://s37.photobucket.com/user/jend80/media/private/page1_zpsziq6khsd.png.html), & page 2 (http://s37.photobucket.com/user/jend80/media/private/page2_zpsknyk9qxd.png.html)

Last rehab & being hospitalised as a teenager (http://s37.photobucket.com/user/jend80/media/private/screencapture-read-amazon-1490480304305_zpshs9etjx6.png.html)

 :'(

Were Dennis's panic attacks completely unknown to Beach Boys scholars until Scott wrote about them? I've never seen them discussed here before. If Dennis was "sent home," who filled in for him, the way someone had to fill in for Brian when he went home? Are there recorded Dennis absences from a show(s) in the 60s?

It's interesting that Brian is known as the brother with the anxiety issues, and that his airplane incident is considered a major event in his emotional life, but Dennis's issues weren't known or talked about. It also makes me wonder whether Brian and Dennis, who shared this disorder, ever talked about it...or, if they weren't comfortable talking about it, if it increased their mutual empathy. 

Really need to stop focusing on this & look after myself right now so not going to go digging for the links/references etc. but tried looking for missed 60s shows after reading about that. (Can bellagio gig/sesions guide still be linked here btw?)
iirc he missed @ a couple of shows attributed to injury from something being thrown at him on stage.

There a quote somewhere; attributed to Ian Whitcomb from one of his books,   
about being on the same bill at a later show, Dennis looking scared and running off stage, after a similar incident.

(I've got one of his other books, After The Ball, but he doesn't mention that detail re encountering/performing alongside the boys. )

Well, there I go. You can be a real forensic pathologist and a sensationally dramatic TV personality at the same time. Today I learned  ;D

Thanks - I haven't read it. Will have to.

That does seem to be the formula with many shows lately. If they trying to prove a hoax (Fact or Fiction) they will strike out a few times before finally figuring it out. If they are showing potential buyers houses, they show a few clunkers first before finding the dream house (Love It Or List It). Even Dr. House (House, M.D.) would misdiagnose a few times before eventually nailing the solution. So yeah, I felt it was a way of building suspense as to why Dennis died.

Although it was interesting hearing the story of the events preceding his death, some of it was too obvious and REELZ tried to make it more difficult than it had to be, and due to the writing, Dr. Hunter looked dumb sometimes. "Dennis was a drinker, so I wanted to see if alcohol played a role..." Well, the BAL is right on the autopsy report, so at .26 - three times the legal limit - I would say "yeah, alcohol played a role." Just like the statement of how would a seasoned surfer/swimmer drown in "just" 15 feet of water, when other rock stars have died choking on their own vomit. Jeez, drowning in water that is 15 feet deep is not far-fetched at all. So a little overly dramatic, but still interesting scenarios.

My gripe is they could not use Dennis' music and highlight some of his songs. He had a beautiful heart and that shows in his music. Instead they play "I Get Around". I realize they wanted to play a song that people would instantly identify with the band, but his music was drastically different from the early 60s stuff. Hopefully folks will be intrigued enough to search for some of his stuff,  because it is will touch their souls.


Nevertheless, Dr. Michael Hunter is a medical examiner that does this in his spare time. Check this out (http://www.jcfloridan.com/news/local/article_6c08972e-f2a0-11e5-9a94-d31c820c32b9.html).

Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to post these. I really appreciate it! And I'm sure many other readers do as well.

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by this show. Yes, it would have been cool to hear a snippet from POB or Bambu, but I don't typically expect it in programs of this nature. They did play a snippet of Never Learn Not To Love. And, as far as Manson goes...I think it's possible to tell The Beach Boys story without ever mentioning his name, but can we really say the same about Dennis? Unfortunately, it's part of his life. If we are going to speculate about the factors that contributed to his emotional state later in life (such as being abused by Murry or losing his voice), I don't understand how anyone can be expected to ignore that connection. It most likely haunted him the rest of his life.

I didn't mind the approach the show took (considering numerous possible scenarios before reaching a conclusion), in fact, I commend it. Most people don't know the details of his death and it explains how he reached his conclusion. I was actually in suspense during that last commercial. I didn't know he was going to say Shallow Water Blackout. It gave me something to think about. I do believe that is the most plausible explanation of his death and it conforms to the general understanding that alcohol/drugs/cold water contributed to his accidental drowning.


I also found it interesting and read up on Shallow Water Blackout. ^This is a good link. I recommend anyone to check it out. It's particularly plausible, because it doesn't necessarily hinge on Dennis being aware of (as an experienced swimmer) and utilizing that technique (something we will never know) because overexertion can have the same effect. I was also curious to find out to what extent the cold water contributed to his death and Dr. Hunter explained that. That water was cold! I'd need a wetsuit to stay in for more than a minute or so.


I totally agree, Rocker. My problem is when people dismiss the Beach Boys music by saying, "they never even surfed!" or something like that. But Dennis was the only surfer in the group. I still prefer that people acknowledge that other members did surf on occasion, but oh well. I honestly don't see the relevance anyway. Did they go to the beach? That's enough for me.

This was all very interesting, considering there was really no new information. I must have dreamt that they played You and I in its entirety during this program.

thread bump

was trawling a newspaper archive and found this :o

from Probe Death Of A Beach Boy Daily News New York page 4 30th December 1983 (AP)
"The harbor patrol officer who found Wilson's body said the singer had dived repeatedly into the water during the day, and that might have led to his death.
"When you dive a lot you can hyperventilate; you can actually black out from that," officer John Rochford said. "

full article scan https://i.imgur.com/nUOzyox.jpg