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Raised successful a supremely originative Southern California household immersed successful popular music, Stan Love took a antithetic way to fame, playing 4 years successful the NBA — including 2 with the Lakers — aft starring astatine Inglewood Morningside High and the University of Oregon.
When his playing vocation ended, the 6-foot-9, 215-pound Love remained adjacent to his family. His brother, Mike Love, was a founding subordinate of the Beach Boys, and Stan Love yet became an indispensable adjunct to the band, serving arsenic a quality shield for his cousin, Brian Wilson, passim the turbulent precocious 1970s and aboriginal ‘80s.
“Those were chaotic years,” Love told the Portland Tribune successful 2019. “It was 24 hours a time of worrying, trying to support the creeps away. Fame and wealth successful rock-and-roll — it’s each a precise unsafe country to unrecorded in.”
Love yet settled successful Lake Oswego, Ore., aft marrying Karen Love successful 1986. They had a daughter, Emily, and 2 sons, Collin and Kevin, who followed his begetter into the NBA.
Kevin Love, a five-time All-Star successful his 17th season, announced his father’s death Sunday connected societal media. Stan Love was 76. His origin of decease was not mentioned.
“Dad, you fought for a agelong time,” Love wrote connected Instagram. “The hardest agelong being these past 6 months. The astir achy to witnesser being these past fewer weeks. And adjacent astatine the extremity arsenic you continued to deteriorate — I inactive saw you arsenic a Giant. My Protector. My archetypal Hero.
“The words we continuously heard from you successful your past section were however blessed you’ve been to person specified a loving family. And successful instrumentality however overmuch you’ve loved your woman and kids. Your lone privation was to beryllium astatine location surrounded by your household erstwhile you took your dying breath.
“That enactment came. And present it’s clip to rest.”
Stan Love was drafted ninth wide successful the 1971 NBA draught by the Baltimore Bullets and averaged 6.8 points and 4 rebounds successful 226 games successful 4 seasons with the Bullets and Lakers. He besides played 12 games for San Antonio successful the American Basketball Assn.
As a three-year starter astatine Oregon, Love was a doubly named first-team All-Pac-8 Conference and posted vocation averages of 21.1 points and 10.4 rebounds. He scored 30 oregon much points successful a crippled 12 times, the astir successful programme history. He was inducted into the Oregon Hall of Fame successful 1994.
Love shifted gears aft his NBA career, successful 1977 becoming a full-time protector and caretaker of Wilson, the originative genius down the Beach Boys euphony but whose prodigious endowment had been compromised by intelligence unwellness and substance abuse. Love toured with the set for 5 years.
Love told the Portland Tribune that during that time, Brian’s member and Beach Boys drummer, Dennis Wilson, was supplying Brian with cocaine. At 1 point, Love decided to enactment an extremity to it. He and erstwhile Oregon shot subordinate Rocky Pamplin posed arsenic constabulary officers, broke into Dennis’ Bel Air location and bushed him up.
Love was fined $750, placed connected six months probation and a communal restraining bid was issued.
“Do you deliberation [Dennis] got the message?” Love said successful 2019. “Brian is simply a precise fragile idiosyncratic with a batch of intelligence challenges. For idiosyncratic to springiness him entree to cocaine — that pissed maine off. People get what they deserve.”
Brian Wilson, 82, was enactment nether a conservatorship successful May, 2024, 3 months aft the decease of woman Melinda Wilson, who was his superior caregiver. Mike Love, 84, remains the band’s beforehand man.
“Mike has been unbelievable to clasp down that marque and support them connected circuit for each these years,” Love said. “The demographics are anybody from teenagers to 80-year-olds. They’ve enactment unneurotic a large assemblage of work.”
The Loves grew up successful Baldwin Hills, and Stan was the 4th of six children to Milt and Glee Love. Milt was a national expanse metallic idiosyncratic and Glee enjoyed playing soft and singing. Their cousins, the Wilsons, lived successful adjacent Hawthorne, and founded the Beach Boys successful 1961. Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, and bushed guitar subordinate Al Jardine were teenagers, and Mike Love was successful his aboriginal 20s.
“In our surviving country erstwhile I was increasing up were a cello, a harp, a Steinway soft and different instruments,” Stan said. “We’d get unneurotic and sing. My parent pushed the arts. I watched opera astatine Hollywood Bowl astatine property 12. I similar music, and I tin transportation a tune, but I don’t play immoderate instruments.”
Love surely could play basketball, and helium passed on that accomplishment to Kevin, a erstwhile UCLA star who remained adjacent to his begetter passim his life.
“Dad, I’m truthful arrogant to beryllium your son,” Kevin Love posted Sunday connected Instagram. “My lone anticipation is that you’re arrogant of me. It was each I ever wanted. Thank you for everything.”
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