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.

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

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