Get to Know Beach Boys Icon Brian Wilson's 7 Children

Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson's legendary career with the Beach Boys includes a slew of top-40 hits that remain playlist staples to this day. But outside of the studio, Wilson had his share of struggles, including drug addiction and a toxic partnership with controversial psychologist Eugene Landy, who exerted near total control over Wilson's life for years.

Wilson's second wife, Melinda Ledbetter, is largely credited with helping Wilson break away from Landy. The pair went on to adopt five children, adding to a brood that already included Wilson's two biological daughters from his first marriage to Marilyn Rutherford-Wilson. 

The death of Ledbetter in January 2024 and the subsequent announcement that Wilson was suffering from a "major neurocognitive disorder" prompted the family to seek a conservatorship, which a judge granted on May 10, 2024. While Wilson's conservators are his manager, LeeAnn Hard, and publicist, Jean Sievers, the judge stipulated that his seven children be consulted about major medical decisions.

Who are Brian Wilson's seven children? Here's what we know about the seven people who call the Beach Boys star "dad."

Related: Brian Wilson Shares His Grief Over Beach Boys Bandmate's Death

How many biological children does Brian Wilson have?

Brian Wilson has two biological children with his ex-wife, Marilyn Rutherford-Wilson. The pair had their first daughter, Carnie, in 1968, and welcomed their second daughter, Wendy, about a year later. By 1979, however, their relationship was over. Brian went on to marry Melinda Ledbetter, and the couple adopted five children: Dakota Rose, Daria Rose, Delanie Rose, Dylan and Dash.

Are all of Brian Wilson's children adopted?

No. Brian Wilson's eldest two children, Carnie and Wendy, are his biological children. He shares them with ex-wife Marilyn Wilson. Decades after his 1979 split from Marilyn, he adopted five children.

"About a year into our marriage, we decided we wanted children, and we didn't get married til I was 48," Melinda said in a 2004 interview with Larry King. "We decided we would adopt."

"I was thrilled to be able to do it," Brian said.

They've kept their adopted children's lives mostly private, making it unclear when each of them was born and when their adoptions were finalized.

Who are the mothers of Brian Wilson's children?

Marilyn Rutherford-Wilson

Marilyn Rutherford-Wilson is Brian Wilson's first wife, with whom he shares two daughters—Carnie, born in 1968, and Wendy, who made her "debut" in 1969. The couple was introduced at a Beach Boys concert in August 1962 by musician Gary Usher and married in 1964. Before tying the knot, Marilyn was establishing a singing career with her sisters, Diane and Barbara, as a member of a group called the Rovell Sisters. Brian suggested the group change its name to "The Honeys," which they did, and he helped write and produce records with them.

Alas, the couple had a rollercoaster relationship that inspired several pessimistic Beach Boys songs, including "Caroline, No" and "You Still Believe in Me." Their divorce was finalized in 1981.

Melinda Ledbetter

Melinda Ledbetter is Brian Wilson's second wife. After dating on-and- off for nearly a decade, the two tied the knot on Feb. 6, 1995, and went on to adopt five children: Dakota Rose, Daria Rose, Delanie Rose, Dylan and Dash.

The relationship wasn't always smooth sailing and Good Vibrations. Controversial psychologist Eugene Landy, who controlled Brian's life for years, told the musician to stop seeing Melinda in 1989, and the pair didn't fully reconnect until after a court order forced Landy to stop contacting Brian in 1992.

Melinda was a car salesperson and model before meeting Wilson, and said her on-the-job skills were transferrable and helped prepare her to serve in the role she'd ultimately take on as Wilson's manager. In 1999, she told Rolling Stone the role was "basically negotiating, and that's what I did every single day when I sold cars." Brian credited Melinda for helping him get his life back on track in a 2007 Washington Post interview but also remarked that he should have spent the early aughts, when he was touring, in a mental institution under heavy sedation.

Melinda died on Jan. 30, 2024.

“Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost,” he wrote on Instagram. “Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us.”

Related: Beach Boys' Brian Wilson's Wife, Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, Dead at 77

Are Brian Wilson and Melinda still married?

Melinda Ledbetter died at the couple's home on Jan. 30, 2024, making Brian Wilson a widower. Her death and Brian's "major neurocognitive disorder" led to his family seeking a conservatorship. A judge appointed Brian's longtime associates, LeeAnn Hard and Jean Sievers, conservators on May 10, 2024.

Who are Brian Wilson's children?

Carnie

Carnie Wilson is Brian Wilson's first child. She was born on April 29, 1968, and is one of the musician's two biological children with ex-wife Marilyn Rutherford-Wilson. Her sister, Wendy, arrived a year later.

Despite seeing the trials and tribulations fame brought their father, Carnie and Wendy pursued music careers as two-thirds of the trio Wilson Phillips. They joined forces with Chynna Phillips, whose parents are John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas.

The group released its first song in years, a cover of Harry Styles' "Boyfriends," in 2022, and were runners-up in Season 8 of The Masked Singer.

On the personal front, Carnie married musician Robert Bonfiglio in 2000. They share daughters Lola and Luciana.

Wendy

Wendy was born about 18 months after her elder sister, Carnie, on Oct. 16, 1969. The two performed together as part of the Wilson Phillips trio alongside Chynna Phillips, the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips (The Mamas & The Papas).

In 2020, Wendy and Carnie told Kelly Clarkson that the Wilson Phillips still get together about once a month to perform a show.

Offstage, Wendy married producer/sound engineer Daniel Knutson in 2002 and has four children, all boys: Leo, Beau and twins, Will and Jesse.

Interviews with Brian Wilson's eldest children indicate the they've had an up-and-down relationship with their father. In 1992, Carnie told the Los Angeles Times that she hadn't spoken with her father in two years. “We can’t call him up, and we can’t see him," she said. “I guess we could, but we’re so afraid of each other. I don’t know what I would say to him.”

Two years later, the sisters apparently rekindled their relationship with their dad.

Dakota Rose

Because Brian and Melinda kept their adopted children's lives extremely private, it's hard to pin down their exact ages and the dates of their adoptions. However, the pair announced Dakota Rose's adoption in a sweet Facebook post on Nov. 9, 2010—National Adoption Day. "Brian and Melinda's basket ball team with newest member Dakota Rose Wilson, makes it to the Final's." Dakota appears to be an infant in the post, so she was likely born earlier that year.

Daria Rose

Daria Rose is the adopted daughter of Melinda Ledbetter and Brian Wilson, born in 2004.

Delanie Rose

Not much is known about Delanie Rose, but the couple but did share some photos of her in a 2009 Facebook post. While her age is unclear, she was likely adopted in the 2000s.

Dylan

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The adopted son of Melinda Ledbetter and Brian Wilson, Dylan's birthday is unknown. However, we do know that his famous dad adores his sense of humor. In a 2015 Facebook post, Brian Wilson called his son, Dylan, the "funniest person I know."

Dash

Dash is the adopted son of Melinda Ledbetter and Brian Wilson. While it's unclear when he blows out his birthday candles, Dash is an infant in this Facebook 2009 post. He was likely born around that time, making him about one year older than his younger sister, Dakota Rose.

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