Paul McCartney is paying tribute to music icon Brian Wilson following the death Wednesday of the Beach Boys co-founder. “Brian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special.

In an emotional social media post, the legendary Beatles member paid homage to his influential Beach Boys contemporary.

"I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while," McCartney wrote on Thursday, a day after Wilson died at age 82.