Brian Wilson, an eclectic genius whose sunny Beach Boys songs like "God Only Knows" and "Good Vibrations" helped define American pop music, has died.

John Stamos, Nancy Sinatra and John Cusack were among the celebrities paying tribute to musician Brian Wilson after his death was announced Wednesday. Wilson's family announced the Beach Boys founder had died in an Instagram post on his account.

Carnie Wilson is mourning the death of a legendary family member. The Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson’s eldest daughter shared an Instagram tribute Wednesday reacting to his death at age 82. “I have no words to express the sadness I feel right now,

It goes without saying that Brian Wilson, who died last week at the age of 82, was a pure product of Southern California. His earliest work with the Beach Boys, created when he was barely out of his teens, preached a regional gospel of sun, sand, and surf, plus girls in bikinis and that perennial symbol of escape, the little deuce coupe.

Brian Wilson and his family were open about his health, from his needing a conservatorship for his dementia to his battle with substance use.

“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.’”

"This album never got finished and these tracks will live on my drive in obscurity, but they’re really great," Jonathan Wilson wrote.