Beach Boy Carl Wilson Dies From Lung Cancer

Carl Wilson, a founding member of the Beach Boys, succumbed to lung cancer on Friday evening.

Wilson, 51, was battling the disease for about a year and died with his family by his side. Although he was diagnosed with cancer last year and underwent chemotherapy, Wilson insisted on being a part of the Beach Boys tour last summer.

During the Beach Boys' legendary career, the California surf group influenced countless musicians and released such hits as "California Girls," "Help Me, Rhonda," Good Vibrations" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice."

Their first single, "Surfin' Safari," was released in 1962 and was followed by the successful "Surfin' USA" in 1963. They reached superstar status after the release of "Good Vibrations" in 1967 and their seminal album, Pet Sounds, is ranked as one of the most influential albums of all time.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Star Trek' Is Crazy Good
• 
  TV 10 Shows to Watch This Summer
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell | 1974

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter