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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Dennis Wilson, the Beach Boys’ drummer and singer, drowned in Marina del Rey, California, on December 28, 1983. He was 39. The contemporaneous account of his death does not establish the often-repeated explanation that he was diving to retrieve things he had thrown overboard.
Who was Dennis Wilson in the Beach Boys?
Wilson was one of the three Wilson brothers associated with the Beach Boys, alongside brothers Brian and Carl. He played drums and sang in the group. The Associated Press describes the Wilson brothers, Mike Love and Al Jardine as central to the band’s Southern California sound and harmony vocals. In a 1983 report, The Washington Post called Dennis the group’s only surfer when the band recorded “Surfin’” in 1961.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Dennis Wilson: The Real Beach Boy | $301.64 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Long Promised Road: Carl Wilson, Soul of the Beach Boys The Biography | $23.96 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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God Only Knows: The Story of Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys and the California Myth (Omnibus... | $16.77 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Dennis Wilson and Charlie Manson | $10.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Beach Boys | $40.92 | Buy on Amazon |
His story is part of the Beach Boys’ wider history of music, family relationships and personal struggles, as the AP also emphasized in its 2024 retrospective on the band.
How did Dennis Wilson die?
Wilson drowned in Marina del Rey, California, on December 28, 1983, at age 39. In its report the next day, The Washington Post attributed the immediate account to Los Angeles County sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Leroy Chastain: Wilson dove into the water and did not resurface. The newspaper described the water as roughly 12 feet deep and reported that his body was recovered at 5:15 p.m.
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The same report said Wilson and friends were on a boat. It does not say he had gone into the water to retrieve objects he had thrown overboard, so that explanation should not be treated as established by this contemporaneous account. The AP’s 2024 retrospective likewise says he drowned in a Los Angeles-area harbor in 1983, but its broader framing does not add to the specific circumstances reported at the time.
Where to learn more about Dennis Wilson
For a Dennis-focused biography, Jon Stebbins’s Dennis Wilson: The Real Beach Boy is cataloged by Google Books as an illustrated ECW Press book published in 2000, with 243 pages and ISBN 9781550224047. The catalog description says it covers Wilson’s role in the Beach Boys and his life; that description is publisher/catalog copy, not independent verification of every biographical claim. The bibliographic record does not establish current price, stock or edition condition.
For a broader account of the group, the AP’s May 2024 report discusses the Beach Boys documentary that premiered on Disney+ that year. Its premiere date does not establish current streaming availability.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
Rank #3
- Updated and Revised: Brings the story up-to-date
- Covers the Years Since 1985: Explores the decades that followed
- Revealing Insights: Uncovers surprising details and behind-the-scenes information
- Author: David Leaf
- Forewords by Renowned Figures: Jimmy Webb, Barry Gibb, and Melinda Wilson
Sources
- The Washington Post, “Dennis Wilson Of Beach Boys Drowns,” December 29, 1983.
- Associated Press, “The Beach Boys, going into the sunset, look back on years of harmony and heartache in documentary,” May 23, 2024.
- Google Books catalog record for Dennis Wilson: The Real Beach Boy.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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