Eddie Van Halen, one of rock n roll’s singular and most gifted guitarists passed away on October 6, 2020, at the age of 65. The Dutch-American Musician was undergoing treatment for throat cancer.
The news was confirmed by his son Wolf Van Halen on his social media account in which he informed about Eddie Halen’s long battle with cancer and paid his tribute by saying that he was the best father he could ever ask for.
Eddie Halen was a revered guitarist and also a co-founder of the popular rock band Van Halen. The band was best known for their song jump and had also hit the top of the US Charts in 1984.
Eddie Van Halen had been in and out of the hospital in the past year and recently had undergone a round of chemotherapy. He is survived by this son Wolfgang and his wife Janie Liszewski, whom he had married in 2009.
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Some of the rock’s biggest names also paid their tributes to the ‘Mozart of rock guitar’ on social media.
My heart is broken. Eddie was not only a Guitar God, but a genuinely beautiful soul. Rest in peace, Eddie! ...Eddie Van Halen Dead at 65 from Cancer https://t.co/gITtcndQVv
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) October 6, 2020
Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s bassist Flea also paid tribute and acknowledged that Van Halen had a beautiful creative heart.
Oh man, bless his beautiful creative heart. I love you Eddie Van Halen, an LA boy, a true rocker. I hope you jam with Jimi tonight. Break through to the other side my brother. ❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/XpcTlPJq9A
— Flea (@flea333) October 6, 2020
Sammy Hager shared a picture of himself along with Van Halen and captioned it ‘heartbroken and speechless’. Hager had replaced Roth as Van Halen frontman when he split from the band in 1984.
Heartbroken and speechless. My love to the family. pic.twitter.com/MQMueMF2XO
— Sammy Hagar (@sammyhagar) October 6, 2020
Geezer Butler, founder member of Black Sabbath also described Van Halen as a true gent and true genius.
Just when I thought 2020 couldn't get any worse, I hear Eddie Van Halen has passed. So shocking- One of the nicest, down to Earth men I have ever met and toured with. A true gent and true genius. RIP. So sad.Thoughts go out to his brother Alex, and his family. pic.twitter.com/fwIw040YMX
— Geezer Butler (@geezerbutler) October 6, 2020
Rise of Eddie Van Halen and his rock band ‘Van Halen’:
• Eddie Van Halen was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was the son of Eugenia Van Halen and Jan Van Halen, a saxophonist, clarinettist and pianist.
• Van Halen was influenced by music since his childhood as his parents were of a similar background. He was also taught to play the piano as a child. When the family of Eddie Van Halen emigrated to Pasadena, California in 1962, they brought a piano on the boat.
• As he grew up, Van Halen switched to drums and then to guitar. He also initially played along with father and brother at bar mitzvahs and weddings.
• In the early 1970s, as an adult Van Halen formed a rock band, Van Halen, in Los Angeles in which he was the guitarist, his brother Alex was the drummer, Michael Anthony was the bassist and David Lee Roth was the singer.
• Behind the band’s eponymous debut album which was released in 1978, Van Halen was said to be the main songwriting force. The debut album of the band shot to number 19 on the Billboard Charts and became one of the most successful debuts of the decade.
• The biggest success of Van Halen came with their sixth album in 1984 which also saw Van Halen focus on synths over guitars. It produced the rock band’s only number-one singles, Jump, and the MTV favourite Hot for Teacher.
• Jump was also the band’s only significant hit in the United Kingdom as it reached number 7 in 1984.
• The guitarist was also possibly known in the UK for playing the guitar solo on Michael Jackson’s 1983 hit Beat it.
• In 2007, the guitarist was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also received great acclaim for his distinctive guitar parts in many of the band’s hits.
• Eddie Van Halen also refined and popularized a style of playing known as ‘two-handed tap’. Also, his lightning-fast technique had influenced countless rock guitarists in the 80s.
Van Halen’s battle with cancer:
Eddie Van Halen had been battling different bouts of cancer for years. In 2001, he first confirmed he had tongue cancer and told his fans that he would beat this disease. For this, he received treatment, and the subsequent surgery removed about a third of his tongue.
Van Halen was declared cancer-free in 2002 but in 2019 it was reported that he had been privately battling throat cancer for five years for which he was also flying between Germany and the US for the radiation treatment.
Throughout his treatment with cancer, he continues to attend concerts and kept rehearsing music with his son Wolfgang.
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