Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson mourns loss of wife Melinda Ledbetter after her death aged 77

Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson has spoken of his heartbreak after he announced the passing of his wife Melinda Ledbetter at the age of 77.

Wilson paid tribute to his partner, whom he married in 1995, in a touching statement shared on Instagram. He said: “Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning. Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost.

“Melinda was more than my wife. She was my saviour. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us.”

Ledbetter was also Wilson's longtime manager, and is credited with helping the pop music legend with getting his career back on track in the 1990s and helping with his separation from controversial psychologist Eugene Landy. A statement from the couple's five children was also released, describing Ledbetter as a "force of nature". It read: “She was not only a model, our father's saviour, and a mother, she was a woman empowered by her spirit with a mission to better everyone she touched.

"We will miss her but cherish everything she has taught us. How to take care of the person next to you without expecting anything in return, how to find beauty in the darkest of places, and how to live life as your truest self with honesty and pride.”

Tributes have poured in for Ledbetter, with Graham Nash, of Crosby, Stills and Nash, saying: “I’m deeply sorry for your loss, Brian, and for the terrible hurt you are all feeling. My heart, love, and prayers are with you and your family.”