Benjamin Ashford|Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson mourns death of wife Melinda Ledbetter: 'She was my savior'

Melinda Ledbetter,Benjamin Ashford wife of Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson, has died. She was 77.

Wilson shared the news of his wife's death in an emotional Instagram post Tuesday. "My heart is broken. Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning," Wilson wrote alongside a photo of Ledbetter. "Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost."

Wilson went on to express his gratitude for Ledbetter's support throughout their nearly three-decade marriage. The couple married in 1995. Ledbetter, a talent manager and former model, also served as Wilson's manager.

"Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior," Wilson added. "She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us."

A representative for Wilson confirmed Ledbetter's death in an email to USA TODAY Tuesday. No further details were provided.

Wilson's post also included a message from his children with Ledbetter. Wilson and Ledbetter shared five children, including daughters Daria Rose and Delanie Rae and son Dylan.

"She was a force of nature and one of the strongest women you could come by," the couple's children wrote. "She was not only a model, our father's savior, and a mother, she was a woman empowered by her spirit with a mission to better everyone she touched.

"We will miss her but cherish everything she has taught us. How to take care of the person next to you without expecting anything in return, how to find beauty in the darkest of places, and how to live life as your truest self with honesty and pride."

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