By India McCarty
Al Jardine recently shared his final conversation with Beach Boys bandmate Brian Wilson, who passed away earlier this month.
“The first thing he did is, he looked at me, right in my eyes. He said, ‘You started the band,’” Jardine told PEOPLE of his visit to Wilson’s house. “I said, ‘Okay, well Brian, thank you, but you had a little bit to do with it too.’”
Wilson and Jardine met when they were both students at El Camino Junior College, and Jardine encouraged Wilson to “act on his music.”
“I said, ‘Brian, we’ve got to start a band together.’ And it just started. It just happened right then,” he shared. “And we searched desperately for people to be in our band, but no one on campus could quite cut it. So he said, ‘You know what? My little brother Carl plays a guitar, and my older cousin has a really great baritone. Come over to my place and I’ll introduce you.’ And that’s how it started.”
Wilson’s appearances with The Beach Boys were scattered throughout the years, but his friendship with Jardine never wavered, and he admired Wilson’s musical genius until the very end.
“Anyone who came in contact with Brian was highly influenced by him because he took the same notes that everybody else has and made a new musical language out of them,” he said. “He was funny, savvy — and very humble.”
Jardine added, “His family surrounded him right to the end. I think he was content. His kids love him. We all loved him.”
Jardine also spoke to The Los Angeles Times shortly after Wilson’s death, saying, “I just lost my best friend and mentor…Brian was a great friend. We grew up together, we went to high school together. We were both dropouts, which is not a bad thing as long as you have a vision of the future. His and mine was to make music.”
Wilson passed away June 11 at the age of 82, and people around the world have been sharing what his music has meant to them over the years, including his bandmates.
“Brian Wilson wasn’t just the heart of The Beach Boys — he was the soul of our sound,” a statement from the group reads. “The melodies he dreamed up and the emotions he poured into every note changed the course of music forever. His unparalleled talent and unique spirit created the soundtrack of so many lives around the globe, including our own.”
The statement continued, “We are heartbroken by his passing. We will continue to cherish the timeless music we made together and the joy he brought to millions over the decades. And while we will miss him deeply, his legacy will live on through his songs and in our memories.”
Fans and friends have been mourning Wilson’s passing but are happy to know his music will live on long after his death.
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