On June 11, 2025, reports surfaced claiming that Brian Wilson, the songwriter and musician best known as a co-founder of the influential pop group the Beach Boys, had died. The claim was true.
According to a statement shared on Wilson's website and social media accounts, the musician died at age 82. The statement read:
We are heartbroken to announced that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy
Multiple news outlets published full obituaries detailing Wilson's life, including The New York Times and The Associated Press.
Soon after reports of Wilson's death started circulating on social media, Snopes readers flooded our website to determine whether they were real or a hoax.
False death announcements are a common form of internet junk news often designed to convince gullible readers to fall for clickbait or phishing scams. (Here's a deeper look into the misinformation trend, and here's a running list of celebrities who have been targets of it.)