Tuesday marked the passing of Melinda Kay Ledbetter Wilson, who rescued her husband, co-founder of the Beach Boys Brian Wilson, from psychological disaster. At the time, she was 77.

Mr. Wilson verified her passing via Instagram, stating that the couple had five children and had been married for twenty-eight years. The cause of the demise was not specified. A family representative, Jean Sievers, stated that Ms. Wilson passed away unexpectedly at her Beverly Hills, California, residence.

When Did the Couple Meet?

In 1995, Brian and Melinda exchanged vows. According to People magazine, the two originally became together in 1986 when Melinda sold Brian a Cadillac. The two had intermittent relationships for three years. In 1992, they renewed their love after running into one other in Los Angeles.

Biopic Showing Love of Couple

The couple’s romance was depicted in the biopic “Love & Mercy” from 2014. In the movie, Elizabeth Banks plays Ms. Wilson, and John Cusack and Paul Dano play Mr. Wilson. They meet in a Cadillac showroom in Los Angeles in the 1980s.

In an interview with ABC News following the movie’s premiere, Ms. Banks said that she had met Ms. Wilson while getting ready for the part.

“Music is his first love,” she told me. Ms. Banks stated to ABC. Nothing can take its place. It is everything about him; it is his soul, his being. As a result, I have to settle for second, but it’s a decent second.

In the movie, Ms. Wilson is seen guiding her ex-boyfriend through a period of mental illness. The presence of Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti), a psychologist who assisted Mr. Wilson in overcoming substance abuse and depression to make a successful comeback in his career, complicates both their courtship and this effort.

Mr. Landy, who once shared a 24-hour daily residence with Mr. Wilson and his group of professional caregivers, became so involved in the musician’s life that the therapist occasionally served as Mr. Wilson’s business partner, record producer, and co-writer.

Putting Some Light on Ms. Wilson’s Life

Her spouse stated that Ms. Wilson had previously worked as a model in the social media post that announced her passing.

Additionally, she produced “Pet Sounds Live at Royce Hall” (2006) and “Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road” (2021), both of which were films inspired by her husband’s music. The latter designation alludes to the seminal album “Pet Sounds,” which was released by the Beach Boys in 1966.

Ms. Wilson told ABC News that she hadn’t anticipated the difficulty of the experience when she and her partner viewed “Love & Mercy” for the very first time.

“I believe I was more anxious than he was when I accompanied him to view it, and I asked him, ‘What were your thoughts?'” she continued. “He exclaims, ‘Oh, in reality, things were considerably worse.'”