Inside Brian Wilson’s Marriage to Melinda Ledbetter
In addition to his role with the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson is the husband of Melinda Ledbetter, officially marrying the former model in 1995. Here’s what we know about this couple and how they met.
Brian Wilson is a founding member of the Beach Boys
They’re the band behind “I Get Around,” “Kokomo,” and other summery hits. Brian Wilson acted as a founding member of the Beach Boys along with brothers Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine.
As a performer in the surf rock group, Wilson wrote Beach Boys songs like “In My Room,” “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times,” “Surf’s Up,” “Good Vibrations,” and “God Only Knows.” Wilson is also the husband of Melinda Ledbetter — and a father to five children.
How did Brian Wilson meet his wife, Melinda Ledbetter?
Aside from his role with the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson is a husband to Melinda Wilson (maiden name Ledbetter). Ledbetter, a car saleswoman and former model, was living in California when she met the Beach Boy in the 1980s.
“I remember meeting her at her dealership, Cadillac, and I said, ‘God, she’s a pretty girl. That’s a pretty girl,'” Wilson said during an interview with ABC’s Nightline. “I just said to myself, ‘God, I think I’ll see her again sometime.'”
“That’s what attracted me to him, he was so nice,” Ledbetter added. At the time, Wilson was a patient under Eugene Landy’s 24-hour therapy program. The two eventually hit it off, getting married in 1995. They’ve been together ever since, with Melinda taking on an added role as a talent manager.
After getting married, the Wilsons adopted five children — Daria Rose, Delanie Rae, Dylan, Dash, and Dakota Rose. (Wilson was previously married to singer Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford, with the couple officially splitting after a decade.)
Brian and Melinda Wilson’s romance is detailed in the biopic ‘Love & Mercy’
With a small social media presence, much of Brian and Melinda’s romance was detailed in the biopic film Love & Mercy. It also detailed tumultuous times in Wilson’s life and career.
“I didn’t know how tough it would be,” Melinda Wilson said during the same ABC interview. “I think I was more nervous than him when I took him to see it, and after, I said, ‘So what did you think?’ And he goes, ‘Oh, it was really a lot worse in real life.’”
“Some of the things that I relived were sad, you know, sad and upsetting,” Brian Wilson said. “They were rough to watch.”
Other members of the Beach Boys started public romances, including Dennis Wilson, who had a relationship with Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie. Wilson also detailed more of his experience with the Beach Boys in his memoir I Am Brian Wilson. Now, music by the Beach Boys is available on most major streaming platforms.
