Sting honours Brian Wilson with heartfelt rendition of 'God Only Knows' – watch here
12 June 2025, 11:58
"Today, one of my heroes died... so I wanna sing a song that I love."
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The world is mourning the loss of Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson, whose death at the age of 82 was announced yesterday (June 11).
Music legends across the globe have paid tribute to the songwriting genius, including Sting.
The 73-year-old is currently on his Sting 3.0 tour, and was performing in Rostock, Germany, last night when he paused the show to pay tribute to one of his "heroes".
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"So today, one of my heroes died," Sting told the audience. "Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys. He's gone to heaven. So I wanna sing a song that I love."
The crowd was completely silent as the guitarist strummed the opening notes of 'God Only Knows', and started to sing...
Watch Sting's rendition of the Beach Boys' 'God Only Knows' below
'God Only Knows', released by the Beach Boys on their 1966 album Pet Sounds, isn't just a favourite of the 'Fields of Gold' singer.
Paul McCartney and Jimmy Webb have both cited it as their all-time favourite song.
So it's no surprise that this was the track The Police singer chose to honour Brian Wilson.
Many musicians have also paid their respects to the 'Good Vibrations' icon.
“Brian Wilson was always so kind to me from the day I met him,” Elton John wrote. “He sang ‘Someone Saved My Life Tonight’ at a tribute concert in 2003, and it was an extraordinary moment for me. I played on his solo records, he sang on my album, The Union, and even performed for my AIDS Foundation.
“I grew to love him as a person, and for me, he was the biggest influence on my songwriting ever,” Elton continued. “He was a musical genius and revolutionary. He changed the goalposts when it came to writing songs and shaped music forever. A true giant.”
The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson dies aged 82
The Beatles' Ringo Starr wrote: “God bless Brian Wilson. Peace and love to all his family.”
"His cherished music will live forever,” Nancy Sinatra shared.
The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood shared his upset on his social channels, writing: “Oh no Brian Wilson and Sly Stone in one week ~ my world is in mourning. So sad x.”
Keith Richards paid tribute by sharing a paragraph from his memoir where he recalled the influence The Beach Boys’ music had on the band.
Bob Dylan wrote: “Heard the sad news about Brian today and thought about all the years I’ve been listening to him and admiring his genius. Rest in peace dear Brian.”
