Guitar rock star Eddie Van Halen dies at 65 after 'long & arduous' battle with cancer

On October 6, guitar rock star Eddie Van Halen died at the age of 65 after a "long and arduous battle" with cancer. His son, Wolf Van Halen shared the heartbreaking news via his Twitter handle with a picture of Eddie and a note. In the statement, 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". 

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Eddie Van Halen's death

Talking about Eddie Van Halen's health, throughout his career he had a number of issues, including a chronic joint problem that led to hip replacement surgery in 1999. Later in 2000, he also had to have part of his tongue surgically removed due to a bout of cancer. According to TMZ's report, in the last 72 hours, Eddie's ongoing health battle went massively downhill. His wife, Janie along with his son, Wolfgang, his ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli, and Alex, Eddie's brother, and the drummer were by his side when he breathed last.

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After Eddie Van Halen's son broke the news on the internet, many industry peers mourned over his death. While expressing grief, American musician Brian Wilson wrote, "I just heard about Eddie Van Halen and I feel terrible about it. Eddie was such a great guitarist and I remember how big Van Halen was," while songwriter wrote, "Heaven will be electric tonight".  Another in the rock industry who paid respect to the late entertainer was Ozzy Osbourne as she tweeted, "His influence on music and especially the guitar has been immeasurable. He was an absolute legend".

Eddie Van Halen's career

Eddie was born in the Netherlands but raised in Pasadena, California. The band Van Halen was formed in 1972 and featured Eddie Van Halen, his brother Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony until 1985. The band gained popularity for its energetic live shows and Eddie Van Halen’s guitar skills. Van Halen showcased his prowess as a guitarist along with his signature tapping skills in the 1977 song Eruption during a nearly two-minute instrumental solo. Interestingly, his band sold more than 56 million albums in over five decades.

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