Kevin Mazur/Getty Images; Kevin Winter/Getty Images
There’s been an outpouring of grief since news arrived that Brian Wilson died at the age of 82. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong paid tribute to the Beach Boys legend, dropping a cover of “I Get Around.”
Armstrong shared his rendition of the 1964 classic on Instagram, which sonically veers into punk rock territory, featuring a killer guitar riff. He also admitted that the cover isn’t new, having shelved a while back. “Thank you Brian Wilson,” he wrote. “I recorded a cover of ‘I Get Around’ a few years ago, never got to share it. One of my all-time favorite songs ever.”
Armstrong is one of the many musicians who have paid tribute to Wilson; Sting also covered the Beach Boys‘ “God Only Knows” at a concert in Germany. “Today, one of my heroes died, Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys,” he said prior to the performance. “So I want to sing a song that I love.”
Other rock greats have also penned heartfelt tributes, including Bruce Springsteen (“If there’d been no Beach Boys, there would have been no ‘Racing In The Street’”), Paul McCartney (“I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while”), and Bob Dylan (“Heard the sad news about Brian today and thought about all the years I’ve been listening to him and admiring his genius”).
Wilson’s family did not provide a cause of death, but it was revealed in February 2024 that he was battling dementia. “We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” they said in a statement. “We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.”
From Rolling Stone US.
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