Tiring of making frothy pop, the late Brian Wilson threw away his Beach Boys’ template, assembled a battalion of top session players, and began recording an all-time classic

The death of Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson reminds us all that the great artists don't live forever, and we should cherish their masterworks while they're here.

Brian Wilson, an eclectic genius whose sunny Beach Boys songs like "God Only Knows" and "Good Vibrations" helped define American pop music, has died.