How Did Dennis Wilson Die? What to Know About the Beach Boy's Untimely Death and Burial at Sea

The Beach Boy died of an “accidental drowning” in 1983

Dennis Wilson’s last day on Earth was spent in and around the water he loved.

The Beach Boy, who checked into two separate detox and hospital facilities and promptly left both in the days leading up to his death, had been aboard a 52-foot yawl named the Emerald before he drowned near the marina slip it was stationed in.

According to boat owner Bill Oster and yacht manager Skip Lahti, who spoke to PEOPLE in 1984, Wilson had been drinking heavily prior to jumping into the water to dive for unearthed treasures. “He was just being Dennis, entertaining everybody, being his lovable self, goofing around,” Oster said.

When Wilson didn’t come up from one of his dives, a harbor patrol boat was flagged down. Tragically, divers recovered his body from the water shortly after.

Wilson’s bandmates, brothers Brian and Carl Wilson, cousin Mike Love and pal Al Jardine, released a statement at the time of Dennis’ drowning, saying, “We know Dennis would have wanted to continue in the tradition of the Beach Boys. His spirit will remain in our music.”

Love also spoke to PEOPLE about the loss of his cousin, saying, “We were all so much a part of each other that I'm sure we'll miss him every single day the rest of our lives,” he said. “There's no way we'll not miss him."

In the decades after his death, Wilson's legacy has lived on through the Beach Boys' famed music. The iconic band is now the subject of a new Disney+ documentary, The Beach Boys, which began streaming on May 24.

Keep reading to find out more about Dennis Wilson’s death, including details from his coroner’s report, burial and more.

How did Dennis Wilson die?

According to Wilson’s coroner’s report, the Beach Boy died of an “accidental drowning.”

Prior to the incident, Wilson had been aboard a 52-foot yawl named the Emerald with friends Oster and Colleen McGovern.

Oster told PEOPLE that his friend began drinking early that morning before going rowing and eating a lunch of sandwiches on the boat. After a nap, Wilson began diving into the water, despite its chilly 58-degree temp.

As Lahti explained, Wilson was exploring the waters of the neighboring slip where he had docked his own 62-foot boat, the Harmony, years earlier and thrown items overboard. (Wilson sold the Harmony in 1980 to pay for bills and loans.)

"He was in and out of the water, getting a kick out of all the stuff he was finding," Lahti told PEOPLE.

After a quick break, Wilson returned to the water around 4 p.m. Roughly 25 minutes later, he took his last dive, never to resurface.

Rolling Stone later reported that the musician’s blood alcohol level was .26 at the time of his death, according to his toxicological tests — more than twice the legal limit to drive in the state of California.

When did Dennis Wilson die?

Wilson died on Dec. 28, 1983. While the exact time of his death is unknown, The New York Times reported that he last dove into the water around 4:25 p.m.

When Wilson did not surface, Oster flagged down a harbor patrol boat. Four divers recovered the songwriter’s body at approximately 5:45 p.m.

Where did Dennis Wilson die?

Wilson died in the Marina del Rey marina. A diving team of four recovered his body from directly under the empty boat slip he had been exploring, 12 feet below the water’s surface.

How old was Dennis Wilson when he died?

Wilson was 39 years old at the time of his death. He celebrated his 39th birthday just three weeks earlier on Dec. 4.

What were Dennis Wilson’s last words?

While Wilson’s last words are unknown, Oster remembered the last sighting he had of his friend just ahead of his disappearance. "He didn't indicate any problem," he told PEOPLE in 1984.

According to Oster, Wilson, who was swimming at the end of the harbor slip, “blew a few bubbles and swam to the dinghy very quietly. It was like he was trying to hide,” he said.

Oster initially thought it was a joke when Wilson didn’t come back up. “I thought he was clowning,” he said. “I jumped on the dock to flush him out and then we would all laugh."

Where was Dennis Wilson buried?

Wilson was laid to rest in the Pacific Ocean just after sunset on Jan. 4, 1984, with a burial-at-sea directed by the Coast Guard. “That's what Dennis wanted done,” his wife Shawn Wilson reportedly said at the time, according to the United Press International archives.

She added: “Wherever he is, I know he'll be glad that we're doing it."

According to the outlet, President Reagan granted the ceremony, which is an honor typically reserved for members of the military and requires approval from a vice admiral or higher for civilians.

How did the Beach Boys react to Dennis Wilson’s death?

Following the drummer’s funeral, the Beach Boys came together at the home of band co-manager Tom Hulett and toasted their fallen member with the most expensive champagne Love could find. “We were sort of having a wake," Love told PEOPLE, adding, "Dennis would have wanted it this way.”

The group also discussed honoring their friend and family member through music. "I told Brian I thought the best thing we could do was write a song for Dennis,” Love said.

Different members of the group had mixed reactions to Dennis’ sea burial, however. The ceremony reportedly went against the wishes of his brother Carl, who had made plans to have Dennis buried near their father Murray in Inglewood Cemetery in Inglewood, Calif. In 2002, Brian told The Guardian that Dennis’ burial “seemed wrong” to him.

Jardine had a different viewpoint, telling the outlet in 2019, “The entire career of the Beach Boys is engulfed by Dennis’ love of the ocean ... It was only fitting that he return to the ocean.”

What legacy did Dennis Wilson leave behind?

Wilson is perhaps best remembered for the musical legacy he left behind, both as a member of the Beach Boys and as a solo artist.

A founding member of the band, Wilson remained a part of it until the late ’70s.

During his time with the group, the Beach Boys released some of their biggest hits, including “I Get Around,” “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls” and “Little Bird,” which Wilson co-wrote.

He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the Beach Boys in 1988.

Wilson, who was reportedly an uncredited songwriter on Joe Cocker’s 1974 hit “You Are So Beautiful,” according to the Chicago Tribune, also wrote his own music. His 1977 solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue, sold roughly 200,000 copies upon its release, per Rolling Stone.

One of the album’s tracks, an instrumental called “Holy Man,” was later rerecorded by Foo Fighters’ drummer Taylor Hawkins and Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor.

The musician tried his hand at acting, too: In 1971, he starred as a mechanic alongside James Taylor in Two-Lane Blacktop.

In addition to his creative pursuits, Wilson left behind a family. He was a father to five children, including daughter Jennifer and son Scott, whom he shared with ex-wife Carole Freedman; sons Carl and Michael, whom he shared with ex-wife Barbara Charren; and son Gage Dennis, whom he shared with wife Shawn.

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