Celebrities Who Went Into Hiding

Considered the creative genius behind The Beach Boys, singer/songwriter Brian Wilson was the author of the majority of the group's smash hits, including "God Only Knows," "Good Vibrations," "Little Deuce Coupe," and so many more, but after achieving mainstream success in the early '60s, Wilson yearned for deeper creative fulfillment.

Considered the creative genius behind The Beach Boys, singer/songwriter Brian Wilson was the author of the majority of the group's smash hits, including "God Only Knows," "Good Vibrations," "Little Deuce Coupe," and so many more, but after achieving mainstream success in the early '60s, Wilson yearned for deeper creative fulfillment.

According to the Independent, Wilson went to work on his opus of musical enlightenment, an album called Smile, which he attempted to conceive through experimentation with LSD. Unfortunately, the psychedelic drug only exacerbated his then-undiagnosed "schizoid-affective disorder." Smile went unfinished, and Wilson's entire music career faded as he "spent the next three decades in chaotic reclusion."

A Biography profile painted a dismal picture of this period in Wilson's life, describing him as "derailed by drug abuse," and having "spent his days in his California mansion slumped in bed — overeating, drinking, using drugs, and watching television." He gained a bunch of weight, eschewed personal hygiene, and rarely stepped out in public. When he did, he was observed "at Los Angeles clubs in a bathrobe and slippers, clearly in an altered state of mind."

After an intense period of recovery, the former Beach Boy finally performed live again in 1999. He even released Smile in 2004, to the delight of fans and critics. According to Pitchfork contributor Dominique Leone, the album "delivers, and despite his age, Wilson's voice even sounds fantastic, still carrying the weight of these angelic melodies."

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