Eddie Van Halen passed away yesterday, October 6, after battling with throat cancer. The Van Halen cofounder and rock star was 65.
His son, Wolfgang Van Halen, confirmed the sad news through Instagram. He wrote, “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.”
In 2006, the 29-year-old joined his father’s band as bassist. He added, “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 recover from this loss. I love you so much pop.”
Meanwhile, Wolfgang’s mom and wife of the guitarist from 1981 to 2007, Valerie Bertinelli, shared her son’s grief by posting 20 broken hear emoji’s on the comment section of his post.
Eddie is a native of Netherlands and founded Van Halen in 1972. In January 2007, he was inducted into the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and married Janie Liszewski in 2009. According to the songwriter he was diagnosed of throat cancer in 2019, almost 20 years after he had a part of his tongue removed due to longue cancer.
Many celebrities expressed their grief and offered tributes to the late rock and roller. Dane Cook took to Twitter to post a message for Wolfgang. He wrote, “Your father had such a huge influence on the world man. I know you and he heard this a zillion times but as a kid his level of dedication to being a master craftsman made me think I could do something with my life too. I can’t thank your dad enough for the inspiration.”
I will be playing your fathers music all day today and reminiscing of all the amazing memories #VanHalen brought to my life. Condolences to your family and the family of fellow fans.
— Dane Cook (@DaneCook) October 6, 2020
He added, “I will be playing your fathers music all day today and reminiscing of all the amazing memories #VanHalen brought to my life. Condolences to your family and the family of fellow fans.”
Meanwhile, George Takei of Start Trek also honored him by tweeting, “Rock and roll lost a great man today. Eddie Van Halen, your guitar was legendary, and your music will live on forever.”
Many other celebrities honored Eddie Van Halen by posting on their respective social media accounts including Billy Idol, Lenny Kravitz, Bret Michaels, Jimmy Kimmel, and more.
