The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson mourns death of wife Melinda: 'My heart is broken'
"Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost."
The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson is mourning his wife Melinda Ledbetter, who died Tuesday, Jan. 30 at the age of 77.
"My heart is broken. Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning," Wilson wrote on Instagram. "Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost."
"Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career," he continued. "She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us. Please say a prayer for her."
Wilson also shared what appeared to be a statement from his and Ledbetter's children, in which she was described as "a force of nature and one of the strongest women you could come by" as well as "a woman empowered by her spirit with a mission to better everyone she touched."
Wilson and Ledbetter married in 1995, having previously dated in the '80s.
Ledbetter went on to become Wilson's manager and the couple adopted five children together.
Ledbetter is credited with helping separate Wilson from his former psychologist, Eugene Landy, and helping the singer through mental health struggles. Their relationship was depicted in the 2014 film "Love & Mercy," in which Elizabeth Banks portrayed Ledbetter.
