Brian Wilson Remembered: Daughter Carnie’s First Words & Sting’s Musical Tribute

Reactions are pouring in after the passing of Brian Wilson, the lead voice and creative force behind the Beach Boys.

Family, friends, and artists across all genres of music continue to pay tribute to the man whose sound defined a generation.

Brian’s daughter Carnie Wilson spoke out about his passing and the touching outpouring of love worldwide for the father she adored. 

She shared in an Instagram video, “It's so deep and the pain is so, so, so visceral… I'm so grateful that he was my daddy.”

Carnie also posted the message, “I have no words to express the sadness I feel right now. My Father @brianwilsonlive was every fiber of my body. He will be remembered by millions and millions until the world ends. I am lucky to have been his daughter and had a soul connection with him that will live on always. I've never felt this kind of pain before, but I know he's resting up there in heaven ... or maybe playing the piano for Grandma Audree his Mom… I love you Daddy....I miss you so much already.”

In a moving moment Wednesday night, Sting honored the legend onstage, singing one of Brian’s biggest Beach Boys hits, “God Only Knows.” 

Other music greats, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Bob Dylan and Carole King, are also paying tribute.

Paul wrote on Instagram, “Brian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special. The notes he heard in his head and passed to us were simple and brilliant at the same time. I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while. How we will continue without Brian Wilson, ‘God Only Knows’.”

Elton shared, “Brian Wilson was always so kind to me from the day I met him. He sang ‘Someone Saved My Life Tonight’ at a tribute concert in 2003, and it was an extraordinary moment for me. I played on his solo records, he sang on my album, ‘The Union,’ and even performed for my AIDS Foundation.

He added, “I grew to love him as a person, and for me, he was the biggest influence on my songwriting ever; he was a musical genius and revolutionary. He changed the goalposts when it came to writing songs and shaped music forever. A true giant.”

Dylan posted on X, “Heard the sad news about Brian today and thought about all the years I’ve been listening to him and admiring his genius. Rest in peace dear Brian.”

On Facebook, King called Brian “my friend and my brother in songwriting,” adding, “We shared a similar sensibility, as evidenced by his 4 over 5 chord under ‘Aaaah!’ in ‘Good Vibrations’ and mine under ‘I’m Into Something Good.’ We once discussed who used it first, and in the end we decided it didn’t matter.  The world will miss Brian, but we are so lucky to have his music.”

John Stamos, who had played with the Beach Boys, wrote a lengthy tribute that said, in part, “Brian Wilson didn’t just soundtrack my life…he filled it with color, with wonder, with some of the most unforgettable, emotional, joyful moments I’ve ever known. It’s hard to put into words what it meant to stand beside him, laugh with him, play his music with him. Brian wasn’t just a musical genius, he was a gentle, soulful, funny, complex, beautiful man. He heard things no one else could hear. He felt things deeper than most of us ever will. And somehow, he turned all of that into music that wrapped itself around the world and made us all feel less alone.”