Which Beach Boys member died in a drowning accident in 1983?

Dennis Wilson was the Beach Boys member who died in a drowning accident in 1983. He died on December 28, 1983, at age 39, after drowning in the waters off Marina del Rey, California.

Dennis was the group’s drummer and one of its three Wilson brothers, alongside Brian and Carl. He was also the only genuine surfer in the band, making him especially connected to the California lifestyle that shaped the Beach Boys’ early image. Unlike many of the band’s best-known songs, he eventually wrote and sang substantial original material, including “Forever.”

Accounts of his death state that Dennis had been drinking and later dove from his yacht to recover belongings associated with his former marriage. His body was buried at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard on January 4, 1984. The other Wilson brothers are easy to confuse in this question: Carl died of lung cancer in 1998, while Brian did not die in the incident.