Jeffrey Foskett, longtime Beach Boys musician and Brian Wilson collaborator, dies at 67

Jeffrey Foskett, a longtime member of The Beach Boys, died Monday, the band's publicist Jean Seavers confirmed to USA TODAY. He was 67.

Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson paid tribute to his bandmate on Facebook Monday. "Jeff was always there for me when we toured and we couldn't have done it without him. Jeff was one of the most talented guys I ever knew," Wilson wrote. "He was a great musical leader and guitarist and he could sing like an angel."

Foskett joined The Beach Boys in the 1980s and left in 1990. During the hiatus from the band, he occasionally worked with Wilson on six of his solo projects and they toured together.

He would later rejoin The Beach Boys in 2014, while the band was led by co-founder Mike Love, before stepping away in 2019 due to the impacts of his diagnosis with anaplastic thyroid cancer, according to Rolling Stone and Variety.

Wilson said he "first met Jeff in 1976 when he knocked on my door in Bel Air and I invited him in, and we were friends ever since. I don't know what else to say."

"Love and Mercy to Jeff's family and friends, we will remember him forever," Wilson closed the message.

Beach Boys member Al Jardine also paid tribute to Foskett. "He was so talented on so many different levels but it was his wonderful sense of humor that kept him balanced and helped him navigate all the hard knocks you get in the music business," Jardine wrote on Instagram.

"Jeff had a contagious positive spirit and never gave up hope. God bless his beautiful spirit and zest for life, we will really miss him and cherish all the great times we shared together," he concluded. "Keeping his wife Diana, his daughter and family and fans everywhere in our thoughts. Rest in peace Jeff and thanks for always making us smile."

John Stamos, who briefly toured with The Beach Boys, wrote a lengthy statement on X. "I lost more than a friend; I lost a part of my soul, my history - Jeffrey Foskett, my dearest friend, brother, and the brightest light in my life, has left this world," Stamos wrote. "This morning, when I got the news, uncontrollable tears streamed down my face, a physical manifestation of the heartache within."

The Beach Boys also made several cameos on "Full House," where they performed with Stamos' character Uncle Jesse.

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"My son Billy heard my cries, joined my wife in holding me up, and then ran off, only to return with a small, tender offering – a drawing. His innocent hands sketched a picture of Jeff with hearts ascending to heaven, with me, waving goodbye. A stairway of hearts, and next to the top heart, he wrote God. A simple yet powerful symbol of love and loss that pierced through my grief," the "Full House" alum shared.

He added: "Jeff was more than just a friend; he was the one who brought the harmonies of The Beach Boys into my life, and with them, a spectrum of color and joy I never dreamed would be part of my life."

"As I say goodbye to my dear friend, I choose to remember not only the ache of his absence but also the brilliance of his presence," Stamos concluded. "Rest in peace, my brother. You were loved immeasurably and will be missed beyond words."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jeffrey Foskett dead: The Beach Boys pay tribute to musician