Paul McCartney is paying tribute to music icon Brian Wilson following the death Wednesday of the Beach Boys co-founder. “Brian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special.

Brian Wilson, an eclectic genius whose sunny Beach Boys songs helped define a revved-up era of American popular music, has died at age 82.

Wilson is most likely to be remembered for his mastery of the recording studio, where he pursued his vision with singleminded tenacity.