Biography

In 1968, Wilson picked up a couple of women hitchhikers and took them to his house to party. The women were associated with a wanna-be song-writer named Charles Manson, who invited himself to visit the Beach Boy. Wilson also picked up a male hitchhiker that year, drug dealer Charles 'Tex' Watson, whom Dennis invited to hang out at his house. In fact, Manson met "Tex" Watson at Wilson's house; the two would become partners in some of the most infamous murders of the 20th Century. Initially, Wilson tolerated Manson's presence at his house, as he brought his groupies with him. Wilson had encouraged Manson's musical ambitions and one of his songs, "Cease to Exist", appeared on the Beach Boys album "20/20" under the title "Never Learn Not to Love". Eventually, Wilson and his musical confederates whom had been introduced to Manson became disenchanted with him, despite the former pimp's provision of women, due to Charlie's fierce temper. Ultimately, Manson and his girls proved to be unwanted guests who tried to commandeer Wilson's house. Wilson, too intimidated to evict his guests, eventually moved out of his own house. Shortly thereafter, Manson and his followers left and began their descent into the hellish frenzy culminating in the Tate-LaBianca killings.

At his last concert in 1983, he lovingly hugged brother Brian Wilson after a song, causing Brian to exclaim "This my brother Dennis, you remember Dennis!" A barely audible (due to years of drug use and alcohol abuse) yet vibrant Dennis said to the audience "You know folks, if you knew what it was like to be singing, and playing... thank you so very much. You are so beautiful to me". It was the last time he appeared in public.

Only learned after falling in love with last wife Shawn that she was actually his cousin Mike Love's illegitimate daughter. Despite their distant blood relationship, Dennis and Shawn could legally marry - and doing so capped off for Dennis the hatred he'd felt for Mike, since the early Beach Boys days.

Although his brothers had vied for him to be buried in the family plot at Inglewood Cemetary, then-wife Shawn wound up winning a heated battle over what was to be done with his remains. Thus, he was cremated and buried at sea off the California coast by the U.S. Coast Guard on January 4, 1984 at coordinates (33-53.9 N, 118-38.8 W).

While the other Beach Boys objected to the material brother Brian recorded for their (never-completed) "Smile" album, Dennis brushed back tears listening to the rough tracks, telling Brian "It's beautiful... don't change a thing."