American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, Brian Wilson is a founding member of the Beach Boys rock band. Apart from the information surrounding his career, his romantic life has also been a thing of interest.
Wilson’s first marriage to Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford in 1964 witnessed several conflicts that led to the couple’s divorce in 1979. He then moved on with American talent manager, Melinda Ledbetter in 1995.
Meet The Women Brian Wilson Has Been Married To
He was married to Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford for 15 years
Born in Chicago on February 6, 1948, American singer Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford began performing in the late 1950s, initially as a member of the Rovell Sisters, a family singing group that also included her sisters Diane and Barbara.
Marilyn and Brian met at a Beach Boys concert in August 1962 when Marilyn was 14 and Brian was 20 thanks to their shared connection with musician Gary Usher. The Rovell Sisters were later renamed “the Honeys” by Brian, who also penned and produced numerous of their 1960s singles.
When Marilyn was 15 and Brian Wilson was 21, they started dating. At first, they kept their connection a secret from others. Since Brian knew the Rovells well, he was granted permission to live there as his main residence from 1963 to 1964. Although Marilyn’s parents were very moral and traditional, they didn’t appear to object to the fact that the couple shared a bedroom but slept in separate beds.
Late in 1964, Brian left the Rovells’ house, and their relationship quickly became more serious. Some sources claim that Brian’s friends and family were quite opposed to him dating a Jewish girl, and it took them a long time to come to understand Marilyn and her family.
The Pair got married in 1964
On December 7, 1964, Marilyn wed Brian. They had two children together, Carnie and Wendy Wilson, who eventually made up two-thirds of Wilson Phillips.
Within a few weeks, Wilson experienced a nervous breakdown, which he partially ascribed to the fact that he and Marilyn were having marital issues. Also, The Beach Boys’ 1966 album Pet Sounds features dismal and sad lyrics that mirror the couple’s early marital difficulties.
Brian’s troubles were only a transitory byproduct of temporary tiredness, according to the psychiatrist Marilyn brought her husband to see. However, his increasing drug use, fueled by a new acquaintance with talent agent Loren Schwartz, led to more arguments in their marriage.
Wilson and Marilyn divorced in January 1979 after splitting up in July 1978. Wilson granted Marilyn custody of their kids and a 50/50 split of the songwriting profits. Later, she and her kids settled into a house in Encino, California.
Moreover, after Brian had sold his publishing rights to Universal Music Publishing Group for $50 million in 2022, Marilyn sued Wilson for copyright termination interests in the amount of $6.7 million.
Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford is now into real estate
Marilyn started working as a real estate broker after her divorce from Wilson. She attended the wedding of her ex-husband to Melinda Ledbetter on her 47th birthday. In order to make it simple to remember for upcoming anniversaries, Wilson specifically chose Marilyn’s birthday as the wedding ceremony date.
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Melinda Ledbetter
Milinda is a 78-year-old American talent manager who was born on October 3, 1946 in Pueblo, Colorado. Also known as Melinda Wilson, she is the longtime manager of Brian Wilson. Also, she was formerly a model and car saleswoman.
Ledbetter first met Brian Wilson in 1986 while both were working at a car dealership. Wilson had been a client of Eugene Landy’s round-the-clock therapy program at the time. She reported Landy to the state attorney general for ethical infractions six months after first seeing Wilson, but she was told that nothing could be done without Wilson’s family’s participation. Ledbetter claims that in 1989, Landy gave Wilson the go-ahead to end their relationship.
Landy was issued a court order in 1991 forbidding him from getting in touch with Wilson; as a result, Wilson and Ledbetter reconnected and got married on February 6, 1995. In 1999, Ledbetter took over as Wilson’s manager.
Wilson is credited as following Ledbetter’s advice in order to receive proper medical attention, go on regular tours, and finish his unfinished album Smile. Wilson’s comeback, however, was the subject of multiple allegations alleging that Ledbetter and other close friends had been taking advantage of Wilson and putting undue pressure on him to continue his music career.
Wilson said in a 2007 interview that his friendship with Ledbetter made it possible for him to pick up his musical career again. He did, however, mention in the same interview that he believed he should have spent the early 2000s “in a mental institution under heavy sedation” because of his psychological problems. Fans continue to argue over whether Wilson genuinely agrees to his sporadic touring schedule since the 2000s.
Meanwhile, the pair don’t have any biological kids together but they have adopted five children including, Daria Rose, Delanie Rae, Dylan, Dash, and Dakota Rose.
