More than 60 years after the Beach Boys first came together, founding members Al Jardine and Brian Wilson shared one last moment. It was an unforgettable exchange between two lifelong friends and musical brothers.
Jardine, now 82, shared in an interview with PEOPLE that he last saw Wilson about a month before his passing on June 11. While traveling through California with his wife, they stopped by Wilson’s home. As soon as they saw each other, Wilson looked him in the eye and said something personal but straightforward: “You started the band.”
The conversation that started it all with the Beach Boys
Their journey began with a simple encounter at El Camino Junior College. One day in the hallway, Jardine turned to Wilson and said, “Brian, we’ve got to start a band together.”
They immediately began looking for members, but no one at school quite fit. That was when Brian suggested his younger brother, Carl, and their cousin, Mike. “Come over to my place, and I’ll introduce you,” he said. And just like that, the Beach Boys were born. Jardine may have brought the idea, but it was Brian who gave it heart and built something neither of them could have seen coming.
In his final moments, Brian Wilson was not alone
Although Wilson’s time with the Beach Boys was marked by pauses and returns, his friendship with Jardine never faded. In later years, Jardine would stop by every few months, sometimes bringing along the Brian Wilson Band to perform for him. “He wouldn’t participate,” Jardine recalled, “but the goal was to keep him involved.”
Brian’s life came with its battles — addiction, mental health struggles, and the painful loss of his wife, Melinda, in 2024. But according to Jardine, Wilson seemed at peace toward the end. “His family surrounded him. His children loved him. We all loved him,” he said. Though he is gone, Wilson’s influence lives on. “He took the same notes everyone else had and created a whole new musical language,” Jardine added. “He was funny, intelligent, and very humble.”