Brian Wilson’s wife Melinda Ledbetter dead at 77: ‘Heartbroken’ Beach Boys star calls her his ‘savior’ in emotional post
- Beach Boys artist, 81, posted some sad news on his Instagram page on Tuesday
- He praised his wife for her encouragement and support
- The two had been married since 1995 and adopted five children
Beach Boys artist Brian Wilson said his wife Melinda Ledbetter has died at the age of 77.
Wilson, 81, announced the bad news on Instagram on Tuesday, accompanied by a few images of his sad feelings about the death of his wife, whom he married in 1995.
‘My heart is broken. Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning,” he said. “Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost. Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior.’
Talking about their close relationship, he said that Ledbetter “gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career” and “encouraged me to make the music closest to my heart.”
Wilson continued, “She was my anchor. She was everything to us. Please say a prayer for her,” and concluded his statement with, “Love and mercy Brian.”
Beach Boys artist Brian Wilson, 81, said his wife Melinda Ledbetter has died at the age of 77. Pictured in 2016 in LA
Wilson said, “Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior.’ Pictured in June 2015
Wilson announced the bad news via Instagram on Tuesday about the death of his wife, with whom he married in 1995
The Beach Boys alum and Ledbetter were parents to five adopted children: Dakota Rose, Daria Rose, Delanie Rose, Dylan and Dash.
Wilson’s statement was accompanied by a statement from his children, in which they called their late mother “a force of nature and one of the strongest women you could ever meet.”
The statement read: “It is with heavy hearts that we let everyone know that our mother, Melinda Kay Ledbetter Wilson, passed away peacefully at home this morning.
It continued, “Not only was she a model, our father’s savior, and a mother, she was a woman empowered by spirit with a mission to make everyone she touched better.”
Wilson and Ledbetter’s children said they will “miss her, but cherish everything she taught us,” especially “how to care for the person next to you without expecting anything in return, how to find beauty in the darkest places, and how to live life as your true self, with honesty and pride.’
The children ended the statement, “We love you mommy. Give Grandma Rose and Dad our love.”
Wilson and Ledbetter first crossed paths in 1986 when she sold the musical artist a Cadillac and began dating through 1989. People reported on Tuesday. They crossed paths again in Los Angeles in 1992 and started dating again, tying the knot three years later.
Wilson described Ledbetter in 1998 as “a partner who is also a best friend” in an interview with People, adding, “I’ve never dated a girl like we did.”
Wilson and his children placed a vintage image of Melinda in the memorial post
The Beach Boys alum and Ledbetter were parents to five adopted children: Dakota Rose, Daria Rose, Delanie Rose, Dylan and Dash. Pictured in 2002 in LA
Wilson and Ledbetter posed with their children Daria, Dylan and Delanie at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 2007
Wilson said Ledbetter “gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career” and “encouraged me to make the music closest to my heart”
Wilson and Ledbetter were pictured at the Berlinale International Film Festival at Friedrichstadt-Palast on February 8, 2015 in Berlin, Germany