Brian Wilson's family and team file for conservatorship

Beach Boys' mastermind and co-founder Brian Wilson could be placed under a new conservatorship amid declining health, his family has stated.

According to a Wednesday court filing seen by the Blast, the 81-year-old musician "does not have the capacity to give informed consent to the administration of medications appropriate to the care and treatment of major neurocognitive disorders (including dementia).”

A statement of Wilson's website reads: "Following the passing of Brian’s beloved wife Melinda, after careful consideration and consultation among Brian, his seven children, [housekeeper] Gloria Ramos and Brian’s doctors (and consistent with family processes put in place by Brian and Melinda), we are confirming that longtime Wilson family representatives LeeAnn Hard and Jean Sievers will serve as Brian’s co-conservators."

Wilson is described as someone "unable to properly provide for his or her personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter." A doctor wrote in the documents that Wilson would not be able to attend a court hearing about the conservatorship due to "medical inability."

In late January, Melinda Ledbetter, Brian's caregiver and wife of nearly 30 years, passed away at the age of 77. According to the filing on Wednesday, she had been looking after his “daily living needs” and was the one who helped Wilson overcome his psychiatric problems, after he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.

Wilson had been in a conservatorship arrangement with Melinda since their marriage began in 1995. In 1992, Wilson – who has had a long history of mental health issues – had a court-appointed conservator Jerome Billet. However, that relationship ended badly, with Wilson suing Billet for mishandling a lawsuit between him and fellow Beach Boys member Mike Love. Before then, Wilson had received treatment from psychologist Eugene Landy from 1975 to 1991 – which also ended acrimoniously, with the Wilson family filing a restraining order against Landy.

Conservatorships have come under increased public scrutiny recently, especially in the US, after Britney Spears extricated herself from a conservatorship controlled by her father and attorney for all of thirteen years, between 2008 and 2021. The outcry concerning the controlling arrangement under which Spears had been forced to operate led to wider calls for legislative reform at the State and federal level in the United States.

In 2021, under the informally-titled #FreeBritney bill, California law was reformed to require conservators to disclose their fees online; and also making provision that judges must document alternatives to a conservatorship agreement, among other changes. That same year, US representatives introduced the Freedom and Right to Emancipate from Exploitation Act, aimed at granting more agency to conservatees, though this act has not become law.

Following the filing in relation to Brian Wilson, a hearing will now be held, at which time a judge will determine whether or not to grant the request to institute a conservatorship. The case will be heard on 26 April to determine the new conservatorship arrangement for Brian Wilson.