“Brian Wilson was always so kind to me from the day I met him,” John said. “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.

But when it came to The Beach Boys' founding member Brian Wilson, that word was more than just a compliment - it was a fact. With a legacy in pop culture that spans decades, and inspired one of the best music movies of all time,

"The Beach Boys were the soundtrack of my summers," iconic author Stephen King writes as he remembers the music legend.

Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys’ visionary and fragile leader and one of the world’s most influential recording artists, has died at 82.

Brian Wilson, shy genius of the Beach Boys, dies aged 82 Joan Baez ... open image in gallery Paul Dano (left) and John Cusack (right) with Brian Wilson at a 2015 event in LA for their biopic ...

Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Keith Richards have lead tributes to Brian Wilson, the pioneering Beach Boys musician who has died aged 82. Nancy Sinatra, John Cusack, who played Wilson in a biopic, and Wilson’s longtime Beach Boys bandmate Al Jardine were also among the many paying tribute to the musical great.