Beach Boys star Brian Wilson cancels tour due to "mental insecurity"

7 June 2019, 15:03 | Updated: 20 September 2023, 13:29

Brian Wilson has postponed a US tour - which was scheduled to begin on Friday - due to feeling “mentally insecure”.

In an official statement, Beach Boys legend Wilson said he had “been living with mental illness for many decades. There were times when it was unbearable but with doctors and medications I have been able to live a wonderful, healthy and productive life.”

He added that after surgery on his back, “I started feeling strange and it’s been pretty scary for a while. I was not feeling like myself. Mentally insecure, is how I’d describe it.

“I’ve been struggling with stuff in my head and saying things I don’t mean and I don’t know why. Its something I’ve never dealt with before and we can’t quite figure it out just yet.”

Brian Wilson | GOOD VIBRATIONS | Berlin | 2018

He added: “The music and my fans keep me going and I know this will be something I can again overcome.”

However, Wilson said that he hopes to return to live shows later this year.

Wilson has been diagnosed with a schizoaffective disorder for many years. He once described his condition: “For the past 40 years I’ve had auditory hallucinations in my head, all day every day, and I can’t get them out.

"Every few minutes the voices say something derogatory to me, which discourages me a little bit, but I have to be strong enough to say to them, ‘Hey, would you quit stalking me? Fuck off! Don’t talk to me – leave me alone!’ I have to say these types of things all day long. It’s like a fight.”

In 1964, he suffered a nervous breakdown and stopped touring with the Beach Boys. When his mental health got worse, his work with the band reduced, and he began living a reclusive lifestyle and turned to drugs.

After a 1992 court-ordered removal from the care of psychologist Eugene Landy, Wilson began receiving regular medical treatment, and began performing music again by the end of the decade.

Wilson has managed to continue a hardworking touring schedule in recent years, playing shows across the US and Europe alongside his former Beach Boys bandmate Al Jardine.