Elton John pays tribute to Brian Wilson with ‘God Only Knows’ cover at Rock Hall 2025 ceremony

Elton John paid tribute to Brian Wilson with a cover of ‘God Only Knows’ at the 2025 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony – watch footage of the moment below.

• READ MORE: Brian Wilson, 1942-2025: culture-defining innovator who represented pop music’s awakening

Last night (November 8) saw the annual ceremony take place at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater, with Jack and Meg White among the inductees, joining artists including OutKast, Soundgarden, Cyndi Lauper, Chubby Checker, Bad Company and Joe Cocker.

One portion of the evening saw the Rock Hall pay tribute to Wilson, who died in June from respiratory arrest at the age of 82. Before kicking off his cover of the ‘Pet Sounds’ classic, John stepped onstage and shared a few memories he’d shared with the late musician over the years, including their first time meeting in Los Angeles.

“We were scared shitless because he was my idol. He was the one that influenced me more than anybody else when it came to writing songs on the piano. It was an evening we would never forget,” he said. “Meeting someone who was a true genius doesn’t happen very often.”

“We loved each other,” he added before launching into the 1966 track. “I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather pay tribute than Brian Wilson and his family with this incredible song.”

Following news of his passing, surviving members of The Beach Boys paid their respects to the late icon in a joint message, saying that he “was the soul of our sound”. Other tributes came from the likes of Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Wood, Nancy Sinatra, Sting, Biffy Clyro and many more from the music world and beyond.

John was among the musicians taking to social media after Wilson’s death to pay tribute, writing: “I grew to love him as a person, and for me, he was the biggest influence on my songwriting ever; he was a musical genius and revolutionary.

“He changed the goalposts when it came to writing songs and shaped music forever. A true giant.”

In the wake of Wilson’s death, fans also started sharing footage of his final-ever live performance from 2022.

That year, to mark Wilson’s 80th birthday in 2022, John joined artists including Chuck D, Fleet Foxes, Bob Dylan, Carole King, Graham Nash, Smokey Robinson and many more in sharing a tribute video to him, with the ‘Rocket Man’ singer saying: “You’ve inspired me all my life. To me you’re the only real pop genius in the world, and I love you very much.”

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