The Smiley Smile Message Board

Billy Hinsche has passed away according to his friend Bill Mumy.

Oh no!  :'(

Rest in peace, Billy. Very sad news.

Sad to read this, one of the good guys. Sorry for his family and all in The Beach Boys orbit.

So very sad. I'm hearing that Billy's mother also passed away today. Does anyone know what happened?

Damn, he seemed like he was in pretty good shape, especially in his Facebook livestreams. Shocking - vale

I don’t know what to say..:I’m at a complete loss right now

Shocking terrible news sounds like it was very quick. Just so sad

Reports seem to be some form of aggressive lung cancer.

So sad to hear about this. A talented singer and musician and so important to The Beach Boys legacy, probably should have been made an official member at some point. Definitely gone too soon.

Sail on, Billy… https://youtu.be/FkYuGN7zyho

Such sad news. Billy died the same day as his mother.

https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-musician-billy-hinsche-dies-20211121-isbsudcip5ebtpwpjructauvka-story.html

If there is another side, lots of ex-friends and bandmates gave him a big hug.

Saw this on facebook and was shocked. So sad to see someone involved with the band as long as he has pass away, especially someone as comparatively young as Billy.

He was a great pinch hitter, and it was nice to see that he was still close enough to Brian where he was able to fill in for Darian a few years ago. (Unfortunately, I think he also got sick that same tour, the November 2015 show I saw was one of the first with Debbie Shair, I believe.)

And you know what? His rapping on Wipe Out, complete with his Uncle Sam MC getup? It's got a lot of cornball charm, looking back 30+ years later.

Truly one of the nicest people I ever got to meet in the BB stratosphere.  A great musician and singer and an even better person.  The ultimate testament to Billy was the fact that he always left you with a smile.  RIP Billy!

I am just gutted.

Billy will be missed.

Oh, God, so sorry to hear this. Billy seemed like one of the nicest people in the BB orbit. I enjoyed watching a fair number of those Live at Billy's over the last year and a half, and never had the slightest inkling that he was unwell. 
R.I.P.

Really sad news. Really nice guy and important to the band for a very long time.

And poor Annie.  Losing a mother and brother on the same day.  Prayers for her.

I am devasted. Billy was one of the good guys, who (like Carl) never met a stranger.

Yes, sending prayers for Annie, Jonah, Justyn and the rest of the family.

I'd just seen Billy in LONG PROMISED ROAD--as always, an upbeat, thoughtful, and unfailingly supportive presence. He left us way too soon.

I'm at a loss for words. I had some nice chats with Billy through the comment section when he did his videos on Facebook. He seemed like such a nice person and no sign of health issues or whatever. I can't believe this. I would like to say something, but I'm just shocked. Rest in peace, Billy! So sad

Dreadful news. Seventy is no age to die. Rest in peace, Billy.

At leaat he doesn't seem to have suffered long. My thoughts are with his famiy and friends.

Really gutting news - R.I.P. Billy  :'(

Terrible shocking news...RIP Billy.....what a life!

https://youtu.be/wrgDxPlZsyY

Goes without saying all the contributions Billy brought to the BB world over his life. The one time I saw Brian live Billy was a part of the band, so thankful to have seen him perform. Farewell our friend.

Billy was more than gracious with me over the years, answering tons of questions related to my research. Definitely one of the best of that bunch. At least he, Carl and Dennis can be together now.

I echo what Craig said-as I said elsewhere-he was very generous with me-I talked with him many times. A great guy!

COMMENT:  Billy's passing . . . too, too soon. He had so much more to give -- damn cancer.  Memories of Billy go back 50 years. He was always around and involved in one way or another. Whether in the studio or on the road, we always had good times and laughs together, a good friend indeed. We were planning an Interview on his podcast, during which he never mentioned his health. That was how he was, always about the music, not him. Such a talent, his contributions to Beach Boy music are incalculable. That he will be missed is an understatement. Rest in Peace my friend.
~Steve Desper

I was sorry to hear of Billy's passing. Glad I got to meet him and see him perform live, including a solo set. Great musician.

RIP Billy and Celia. Such very sad news.

The scene in "long promised road" where Brian listens to "farewell, my friend", written by Dennis in honor of Billiy's father Otto, takes on a whole new meaning.

💔

Awful news. Billy meant so much to the band. The Beach Boy 'kids' referred to him as 'Uncle Billy'. He loved music but especially the Beach Boys music. :(

Very sad news. It's easy to see how much he meant to all the extended Beach Boys family. RIP Billy.

One of the best things about Billy is how much of himself he shared in his online shows. Go watch them if you haven’t already, or watch them again.

Totally agree, Billy was an open book, a revelation and historian of all things Beach Boy. He will be greatly missed.

Never met him, but exchanged a few messages online, and saw him play with the Beach Boys many times, and in Carl's band in 1983.
Too many of the great ones leaving us now. Keith Allison, former Paul Revere and the Raiders bassist/guitarist/singer, died just a couple days before. And yes, there's a Beach Boys connection. He was on the same show as the Beach Boys several times in the mid 60's.

Just read the news on yahoo, very sad. Billy Hinsche was an integral part of the 70s Beach Boys sound. One thing that has not been mentioned are his DVD diaries of the band on the road. I wonder what will become of them now. I was lucky to see Billy live on tour with Brian at an open-air gig in Aalborg, Denmark. I shouted an excited, "Billy!", and he smiled back at me. RIP Billy Hinsche

Very sad to hear of this.

His memory will live on.

(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/e200/walruswasrob/46406F58-940A-45CE-B74E-C9FF13C427E2.jpeg)

He would have been, what, 14 or 15 in this shot? Living every 60’s teenaged boy’s dream. And that was only the start of his remarkable life in show business.

Billy's obituary with funeral details...
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/los-angeles-ca/william-hinsche-10457046

A wonderful tribute in Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billy-hinsche-beach-boys-dino-desi-billy-dead-obit-1260824/