The Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson has died at the age of 82, his family said.

Wilson was the eldest and last surviving of the three musical brothers who formed the American rock band in 1961, alongside their cousin Mike Love and school friend Al Jardine.

“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away”, his family said in a statement on his website.

“We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving.

“We realise that we are sharing our grief with the world.”

The statement finished “Love & Mercy”, a reference to a film about Wilson starring John Cusack.

His band, known for their vocal harmonies, signed with Capitol Records in 1962 and released their first album, Surfin’ Safari, that same year.

Wilson was born on June 20 1942, and began to play the piano and teach his brothers to sing harmony as a young boy.

The Beach Boys started as a neighbourhood act, rehearsing in Wilson’s bedroom and in the garage of their house in suburban Hawthorne, California.

In the group Wilson played bass while his brother Dennis was the drummer and Carl played lead guitar.

Their debut single, Surfin’, became a minor hit on its release in 1961, but was nothing compared with the success that followed from their second studio album, Surfin’ USA, released in 1963.

The band were managed by the trio’s father, Murry Wilson, but by mid-decade he had been displaced and Brian, who had been running the band’s recording sessions almost from the start, was in charge.

They were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2001.

The Beach Boys’ biggest hits included California Girls, Surfin’ USA and Good Vibrations, the latter of which topped the UK’s singles chart.