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Check out Johnny’s episode on the fascinating fight over deep sea mining: • The $16 TRILLION Race to Mine the Ocean
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By Eva Baron on June 12, 2025
Brian Wilson in Santa Monica, Calif., in 1990, photographed by Ithaka Darin Pappas. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0)
“The world mourns a genius today. The melodies he dreamed up and the emotions he poured into every note changed the course of music forever.”
Brian Wilson, the cofounder, singer-songwriter, and creative genius behind the legendary pop and rock band The Beach Boys, has died at 82 years old. His family announced his death on June 11 with a statement shared on Instagram.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” they write. “We are at a loss for words right now.”
That same day, Wilson’s bandmates from the Beach Boys also paid tribute to the “soul of our sound,” writing: “The world mourns a genius today. The melodies he dreamed up and the emotions he poured into every note changed the course of music forever. Together, we gave the world the American dream of optimism, joy, and a sense of freedom—music that made people feel good, made them believe in summer and endless possibilities.”
Born in Inglewood, Calif., in 1942, Wilson had always been precocious when it came to music. When he was a baby, he could deftly imitate melodies sung to him and, by ages 7 and 8, he began singing solos at church, prompting his choir director to declare that he had perfect pitch. Later, in 1961, Wilson, his younger brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardin formed what would eventually become one of the world’s most enduring and illustrious bands: The Beach Boys.
The Beach Boys in September 1965. (Photo: Capitol Records via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
As the de facto leader of The Beach Boys, Wilson wrote and produced dozens of the band’s chart-topping songs, including Good Vibrations; I Get Around; Help Me, Rhonda; California Girls; and their first major hit, Surfin’ U.S.A., which was originally released in 1963. From there, The Beach Boys quickly gained recognition for their carefree and breezy lyrics, psychedelic sound, and layered vocals, each of which embodied the optimism, youth, grandeur, and, at times, melancholy of mid-century California. Much of this success can be traced back to Wilson, whose distinct vision and talent for studio production, musical arrangement, and vocal harmonization further propelled The Beach Boys into pop stardom. […]
Source: RIP Brian Wilson: The Beach Boys Cofounder Dies at 82
By Jessica Stewart on June 12, 2025
Photo: Sarfatims via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
“Sly was a monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music.”
The music world is mourning the loss of a pioneer with the death of Sylvester Stewart, better known as Sly Stone. As the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, he fused soul, rock, psychedelia, and gospel in the 1960s and 1970s, revolutionizing the music landscape. Stone was 82 when he passed away in his Los Angeles home on June 9, 2025. His death comes after a long battle with C.O.P.D., or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a statement released by his family.
Credited as the founder of the progressive soul movement, Stone was musically inclined from a young age, mastering several instruments. While he was born in Texas, he was raised in the Bay Area of Northern California, where he performed gospel music with his siblings, Freddie and Rose. In 1966, the siblings formed Sly and the Family Stone, a revolutionary mixed-race, mixed-gender group that achieved a string of hits in the late ’60s and early ’70s.
Many of the group’s recognizable hits, from “Family Affair” to “Everyday People ,” would later be sampled by hip-hop artists. His eccentric personality, flamboyant style, and willingness to experiment in multiple musical genres made a lasting impact long after the group disbanded in the mid-1970s amid his drug use.
Stone’s influence can be seen in later artists like George Clinton, Michael Jackson, Outkast, and Prince, with critic Joel Selvin boldly stating, “There was Black music before Sly Stone, and Black music after Sly Stone.”
While Stone released several solo albums, he was unable to replicate the success he had within the group. Unfortunately, erratic behavior and addiction kept him largely out of the spotlight. He continued to perform sporadically and was present with his bandmates when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, and performed at the 2006 Grammy tribute to the group.
In recent years, there has been renewed interest in Sly and the Family Stone, in part thanks to Questlove, who released the documentary Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius) in 2025.
Sly was a monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music,” his family said in a statement. “His iconic songs have left an indelible mark on the world, and his influence remains undeniable. In a testament to his enduring creative spirit, Sly recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course, which follows a memoir published in 2024.”
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Source: RIP Sly Stone: The Eccentric, Trailblazing Frontman Dies at 82
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