Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen, hailed among fans, critics, and musicians alike as one of the most innovative players in the history of the instrument, has died at the age of 65 after a battle with throat cancer.
TMZ reported that the legendary rocker, who founded the band in 1972 alongside his brother, Alex, vocalist David Lee Roth, and bassist Michael Anthony, had his family by his side at St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica, California when he passed. Halen had been struggling with health issues for several years including a bout with tongue cancer that he ultimately recovered from.
The news of Van Halen’s passing was confirmed by his son, Wolfgang, who had spent the last several years playing with his dad in the Roth-era reunion lineup of the band. Wolfgang was Van Halen’s only son, whom he had with ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli.
“I can’t believe I’m having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning,” Wolfgang wrote in an Instagram post on the evening of Tuesday, October 6th.
“He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift. My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss. I love you so much, Pop.”
With his band, Van Halen released twelve studio albums from 1978 until their final release in 2012. The band went through a number of lineup changes, including the infamous Van Hager lineup with Sammy Hager on vocals, as well a third major lineup with Gary Cherone as frontman in the 90s. That short-lived lineup ultimately paved the way for a reunion of the classic-era lineup with Roth on vocals, which toured sporadically up until 2015. Their final show was nearly five years ago to the day, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Van Halen’s particular brand of guitar playing was singular at the time of the band’s rise in popularity, with the musician becoming known for his overdriven harmonics as well as his pioneering of a two-hand tapping technique that is perhaps best heard on the solo piece “Eruption.”
His classically-influenced style of playing was ultimately well-suited for the hook-infused hair metal that the band played, and with his bandmates he ushered in an era of bands that ultimately all just wanted to sound like Van Halen.
Van Halen’s death was mourned on social media not just by family members, but by all of his bandmates including Roth, Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, and Gary Cherone. Others who paid tribute to the guitar icon include Ozzy Osbourne, Pete Townshend, and Billy Corgan.
