The Untold Truth Of Brian Wilson

Marilyn sought out self-styled therapist to the stars Eugene Landy (pictured, right, with Brian) in 1975, who used an odd combination of aggressive medication and forced physical fitness to attempt to rehabilitate Wilson. He was fired after a year due to his outrageous fees (north of $400,000 per year) but rehired by the Beach Boys'

Marilyn sought out self-styled therapist to the stars Eugene Landy (pictured, right, with Brian) in 1975, who used an odd combination of aggressive medication and forced physical fitness to attempt to rehabilitate Wilson. He was fired after a year due to his outrageous fees (north of $400,000 per year) but rehired by the Beach Boys' manager in 1982; in the intervening years, Brian had divorced, ballooned to over 300 pounds, and increased his drug intake in earnest.

Landy's solution to Wilson's every problem seemed to be more drugs, and the extent to which he was insinuating himself into the star's life started to look excessive, if not downright unethical. By the mid-'80s, he had proclaimed himself Wilson's manager and creative partner, accompanying his charge to interviews dressed like a more flamboyant Rod Stewart and accepting songwriting credits on several of Wilson's solo albums. Fortunately, while out shopping for a new ride, Wilson met car saleswoman Melinda Ledbetter, who was familiar with Wilson's past and knew an abusive situation when she saw it. "There was a total parallel between Murry and Landy," she would later say. "Because Brian came from such dysfunction, it was hard for him to recognize how dysfunctional the situation with Landy was." Ledbetter joined forces with Brian's family to free him from the grasp of Landy, who had gone so far as to make himself the sole beneficiary of Brian's estate. Their efforts were successful, and the quack was banned from contact with Wilson by the courts in 1992.

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