John Stamos is opening up about the "heartbreaking" moment he revealed to Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love that his cousin and bandmate Brian Wilson had died.
Wilson, whose family announced his death on Wednesday, was 82.
"It's absolutely heartbreaking. I was with Mike at the airport ... when I got the text, and I had to tell him," Stamos told ABC Audio at Love's induction to the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday in New York City. "And I've never seen him that quiet. He just shut down. You know, 84 years with his cousin."
Brian Wilson, legendary Beach Boys singer-songwriter, dies at 82
"He loved his cousin. They loved each other," Stamos added about Love and Wilson's unique bond.
Stamos, who has been performing with the Beach Boys on and off since 1985, honored Love at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony. They also performed a medley of "California Girls," "I Get Around," "Kokomo" and "Good Vibrations."
On the carpet, Stamos lauded Love's and Wilson's contributions to the Beach Boys' music.
"He painted the cinematic tableau of California ... and it was all about love and positivity and optimism and joy," Stamos said about Love.
"Mike is a songwriter's songwriter. Brian Wilson was the biggest genius that ever walked this earth. He was so big and he was so powerful that sometimes Mike got overlooked," Stamos said.
Still, he noted that Wilson was always quick to say, "Mike wrote that, Mike did this, Mike did that."
Love told ABC Audio that Wilson was "a mastermind" of the tracks.
"If you were to listen to the tracks of 'Pet Sounds,' it's mind-blowing," he said. "You'd say, how the heck did he ever do that? But he did it, and then we slaved over the vocals."
He continued, "If ... Brian came up with the track for 'California Girls,' I'd be out in the hallway writing the words."
Brian Wilson's daughters, stars share emotional tributes to music legend
Love also reacted to the tributes many shared for Wilson this week, including one from Bruce Springsteen, who called the Beach Boys "America's greatest band."
"I think that's a wonderful thing for him to say. He's The Boss," Love said.
Love also reacted to Elton John's recent comments.
"What Elton John recently said was that he believes 'Pet Sounds' will be the only album that will be played forever," he said. "That's pretty amazing, coming from Elton John."
