Brian Wilson: New Movie Sheds Light on The Beach Boys Icon's Years of Struggle - Closer Weekly

Brian Wilson was all smiles as he arrived amid a wave of excitement at the recent premiere
of his new biopic, Love & Mercy, in Beverly Hills.

“I’m very happy!” he beamed to Closer as he held hands with his beloved wife, Melinda, close by his side. “I’ve seen the film three times — it’s fantastic!”

Brian with The Beach Boys in November 1964.

The Beach Boys legend, 72, has come a long way from the depths of depression and drug addiction depicted in the film. “Brian contributed to his mental illness with the vast amount of drugs he used,” says an insider.

“He would brood for days and refuse to shower and shave, and by the early ’70s, he lived like a hermit in the guesthouse of his Bel Air mansion. He overate, reached more than 300 pounds and even dug a grave in his backyard and tried to get his friends to toss him in it.”

Brian in 1966.

Brian developed a controversial relationship with psychiatrist Dr. Eugene Landy, who moved in and kept watch over him 24 hours a day for three years in the 70s. “He was feeding Brian all these psychiatric drugs that he was not qualified to prescribe, and that’s never cool,” says Peter Ames Carlin, author of Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson. “But he did sort of save Brian’s life.”

To read the full story on Brian, pick up the new issue of ‘Closer Weekly,’ on newsstands now!