Remembering Dennis Wilson: The Beach Boys Drummer’s Final Moments

Remembering Dennis Wilson: The Beach Boys Drummer’s Final Moments

Check out the account of the last months of Dennis Wilson’s life made by Rolling Stone USA in 1983

In the 1960s, the American rock band beach boys represented the natives’ growing passion for surfing and the music genre. However, only Dennis Wilson knew how to play the sport.

Not only was he the only member who knew how to surf, but on the stage set up by the audience, the drummer of beach boys it also represented the whole wild, sexual and adventurous essence of the band. And the image is not associated in vain, since addiction to alcohol and drugs of Wilson brought a lot of discussion to the group.

Yet after he drowned at age 39 on December 28, 1983, his solo work was and continues to be rediscovered and lauded for innovation and emotional honesty. If he hadn’t suggested the theme for the first single, “Surfin”maybe the beach boys didn’t even exist.

On stage, he played with little technique, but with race and speed, drawing screams from the fanatical girls for the beach boys. At least in the hearts of fans who are still dissatisfied, Dennis Wilson still alive.

Friends of the musician revealed to the Rolling Stone USA how were the last few months of life Dennis. Check out the report made by reporter Michael Goldberg, from Rolling Stone USAin an article published on June 7, 1984.


A spendthrift and irresponsible, he was expelled several times from beach boys and had a feud with his cousin Mike Love. Willing to resume the routine of shows in 1983, Mike Love, Alan Jardine and the group’s manager, ToneHulettallowed the drummer back with one condition: Dennis Wilson would need to go through a detox program after having her vocal cords damaged by addiction.

Bankrupt, prematurely aged and away from everything he knew – daughters, friends and co-workers (beachboys) – Dennis depended on the charity of friends. Although Bob Levine say that Wilson was quite serious about straightening out his life, Steve Goldberg claims he was just telling people what they wanted to hear.

At the end of November, Dennis checked himself into a therapy center in Arizona, but left after two days. On December 23, 1983, Dennis Wilson entered the St. John’s Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica.

Dr. Jokichi Takamine, responsible for the artist’s rehabilitation, told Wilson that she would be away on Sunday, Christmas Day, but would see him on Monday. But Dennis left Hospital St. John’s in the early evening of Christmas Day and headed towards the home of Shawn Love, his last partner, as he was feeling lonely on the festive night.


Dennis Wilson’s Last Day

On Tuesday, December 27th, Dennis called an old friend, Bill Osterasking if he and the girl he was with, Colleen “Crystal” McGovern, could visit it. After not seeing the Beach Boy for about a year, his colleague complied and the crew embarked on a boat ride.

During the tour, Dennis revealed to his engineer friend that he had not liked the atmosphere at St. John’s, and would like to try an alternative treatment in New Mexico. In addition, he shared his anguish of needing to be sober to return to the stage with the beach boys.

As a result of all the melancholy that surrounded his life, the musician decided that he would detox the next day and bought a few bottles of vodka for the night. The next morning, the foursome sat talking. Around ten o’clock, Oster suggested that he and Wilson go rowing.

He started diving down the ramp beside the emerald (name of boat) and pulled a piece of rope. “That was the first thing he mentioned,” he noted. Oster. “He kept diving, digging, bringing in garbage. Why he was doing this, I don’t know.”

He eventually found a silver frame containing his wedding photo with his ex-wife Karen Lamm. O Beach Boy threw it off a boat in 1980 – this was just one of the “treasures” Wilson was looking for.

“He was getting ready to go back for his treasures,” Oster said. “I told him there was nothing down there. We tried halfheartedly to convince him not to come back. There was no way to convince him to give up.

back on board, Dennis drank from a bottle of wine, found in the boat’s hidden ‘treasures’. That afternoon, the artist returned to his scuba diving and treasure hunting adventure. After seeing him jump after his rowboat, Oster called the Beach Boy, asking what he had found. There was no response.

“At that moment, I saw him go down and out of sight,” he said. “I said to myself, ‘This sucker is playing a game with me. He’s trying to hide. That was my fatal mistake. Because that was the last time he fell… I didn’t see him, so I stepped onto the pier and said, ‘Hey Dennis, where are you? Ha ha. I can’t find you. Still no answer.”

Oster He was about to dive into himself when he saw the harbor patrol. According to the autopsy report, “The harbor patrol scoured the waters for approximately thirty minutes before finding the body. The time the body was taken out of the water was approximately 1745 hours [17h45]. Dennis Wilson was pronounced dead three minutes later.

Source: Rollingstone

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