{With thanks for permission to post}
Hello. My name is David Leaf. I’m Daria Wilson’s godfather, and this is the story she asked me to tell you today.
There was nothing more important to Melinda than family.
Well, maybe dogs, but that’s a conversation for another day.
How did I become part of Melinda’s family?
Believe me, I wasn’t dating models. And the only car I ever bought was a Volvo.
We lived in two very different worlds.
I met her for the same reason so many of us are here… we all love the same man…Brian Wilson
I met Brian almost exactly ten years before Melinda did.
It was June of 1976 at the Westside YMCA on Sawtelle. I was shooting baskets with a friend from college.
Brian and his cousin Stan asked if we wanted to play two on two.
Stan had just retired from the NBA.
We didn’t have a chance. Except Brian played no “D.”
Absolutely no defense.
When he got the ball he shot it, immediately. And then lost interest.
Which will come as no surprise to those of you who know him.
Thirteen years later, almost to the day, Eva and I met Melinda Ledbetter.
The reason I remember the exact day is that for years, we had been working with the Attorney General’s office to get rid of the so called doctor who was controlling Brian’s life.
And Eva said, “If something doesn’t happen by June 1st, we have to stop.
On June 1, 1989, the telephone rang.
It was Melinda Ledbetter. She had gotten my number from Gary Usher.
She said Gary thought we could help. We invited her over to our apartment on 6th St. in Santa Monica, and she explained that she was worried about what this so-called doctor was doing to Brian.
So were we.
She just saw this very sweet guy being taken advantage of, and when she questioned what was going on, she was excommunicated.
Brian was no longer allowed to see her.
And so, for days, weeks, months, and years, Melinda, Eva, and I were in battle together.
We had some information. Melinda had some. We had spies everywhere.
It seems like every night, while Melinda and Eva sat on the couch and strategized, I was on the floor playing with Molly, Mel’s adorable Maltese. One of the best friends I ever had.
I was able to multi-task. And we knew what we had to do:
We had to convince Brian’s brother Carl that he had to act.
It was because of Melinda’s relentless push that Brian was finally freed from what he called “nine years in prison.”
Just a side note, when we met Melinda she was not a big Beach Boys fan. She had never heard Pet Sounds. Had never even heard of SMiLE.
She just didn’t think that what was happening to Brian was right.
There are those who wonder why Melinda is called Brian’s Savior.
She was. If not for Melinda...and Gloria Ramos too…Brian would have lived out his years under the control of this so-called doctor.
But, working together, we got him out of jail.
The 1990s were a fun time for us as couples. We would go out to eat together at least two or three times a week…and laugh a lot.
What did Melinda mean to Brian?
In 1995, when he was promoting the revealing Don Was documentary, I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times and the brilliant Van Dyke Parks album, Orange Crate Art, a reporter asked Brian why he felt comfortable stepping back into the spotlight.
His answer was simple but deep. “I have emotional security.” He could just as easily have said, “I’m married to Melinda.” Because she was the source of this emotional security.
And because of Melinda, Brian came back to the world…finally receiving all the honors he had always deserved. The Grammys, the Kennedy Center Honors, The Songwriters Hall of Fame. The All Star Tribute at Radio City. MusiCares. And so much more.
Brian was once like Melinda. Determined. In the past 30 years, Melinda took on that part of the music business for him because she was strong. Fearless. Relentless.
Without Melinda, the Wondermints wouldn’t have been part of his band.
Without Melinda, Brian wouldn’t have ever toured as a solo artist.
Without Melinda’s encouragement, Brian would never have played Pet Sounds live.
Without Melinda, Brian would never have given us his greatest gift, Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE.
That Lucky Ol’ Sun. The Gershwin album.
Each time, it was Melinda who stood behind Brian as he accomplished artistic feats that just wouldn’t have happened if she wasn’t there.
And because she always had his back, Brian was right there for the 50th anniversary reunion tour with the Beach Boys.
But Melinda had another idea. A big, big idea.
She and Brian had a huge house, and they wanted to fill it with kids who otherwise might not have had a chance.
And Melinda had so much love to give that meant there would be a lot of Wilson kids.
Eva and I are Daria’s godparents, and then came Delanie and Dylan and Dash and Dakota.
Melinda was a tough but loving mother.
And with Jean Sievers, she was a tough but loving manager.
But the key word is “loving.”
Unconditional love.
Brian felt it from the start. And the kids did too, even if they had their disagreements.
That’s what parents and children do.
Every time I talked to her in recent months, just before she passed, she was heartbroken that after all he had been through, Brian wasn’t well.
She said, “I can’t believe it.”
We know what she was talking about.
Life is like that.
But because of Melinda, he had thirty great years.
So, I think of that happy day back in 1995 when she and Brian got married. Carl was his best man. Marsha, Melinda’s older sister, her best friend, was her maid of honor. My wife was a bridesmaid. All gone now.
It’s so hard to believe.
Melinda was such a strong force that going to the house the day of her passing one could immediately feel her immense absence.
Melinda always wanted what was best for her family.
Nobody can fill her role.
That is the terrible loss we feel today.
And by feeling it, we honor the special person she was.
How special?
A few days ago I received a call with a message that I want to conclude with.
When I saw on my cell that I was getting a call from England, I thought, “That’s very expensive junk call.”
But I answered. And the voice at the other end of the phone said,
“Hello, David. It’s Elton.” As in Sir Elton John.
He wanted me to tell you all this because of what Brian and Melinda mean to him.
This is what he said:
“When Brian’s life was floundering at its lowest nadir, Melinda appeared and gave him love, family, and reassurance.
“She rescued him. She made my idol happy, the happiest he'd ever been.
“He came to life again and felt the love. She was a miracle.
“He is a miracle. I always considered him to be my inspiration.
He still is.
“Melinda made him and me feel the wonder of the human spirit.”
Sir Elton continued: "She was a miracle woman.”
Thank you, Sir Elton. All that’s left to say is ---
“We love you, Melinda.”
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