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Legendary rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen died of throat cancer, “TMZ” reports. His son Wolfgang confirms it on Twitter.
“I can’t believe I have to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning,” Wolfgang Van Halen said in the tweet. Eddie Van Halen was only 65 years old. Van Halen was the best father he could have wished for, his son Wolfgang wrote. Every moment on stage with him was a gift. “My heart is broken and I don’t think I will ever fully recover from this loss.”
Sources told People that Van Halen passed away Tuesday at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, US His wife Janie is said to have been by his side along with their son Wolfgang and brother Alex.
The «last guitar boss»
Industry magazine “Billboard” once celebrated him as the “last guitar boss.” Van Halen claims not to have listened to music. The world famous musician doesn’t even turn on the radio in the car. “I prefer the sound of the engine,” he told the magazine. «I don’t listen to any music. It’s kind of weird, but it’s been like that all my life. I couldn’t make a contemporary album if I wanted to, because I don’t know what contemporary music sounds like. “
Nonetheless, Van Halen delighted millions of fans around the world with his music for decades. Hard rock band Van Halen was a family business: Eddie played guitar, his brother Alex played drums, and Eddie’s son Wolfgang joined them as bassist. Most people wanted to go to Hollywood and become rock stars there, Eddie Van Halen once told Esquire magazine in one of his rare interviews. But they would never have followed this thought in the Van Halen family.
The Van Halen brothers were born in Amsterdam, Holland, and immigrated to California with their parents as children. They started playing guitar and drums at a young age, won music competitions, and eventually founded the Van Halen band while still in school. The song “Jump” became a hit on the international charts in 1984 and remains a party classic today.
Sick 20 years ago
Van Halen has gone from bad to worse in the last 72 hours. Doctors reportedly discovered that his throat cancer had spread to both the brain and other organs. The musician was diagnosed with cancer 20 years ago. At that point, surgeons removed a third of his tongue. Van Halen said he was cancer-free again in 2002.
Six years ago his fatal suffering returned. The musician is reportedly supposed to be secretly treated for throat cancer. In addition, the musician must travel to Germany regularly to receive radiotherapy.
According to the guitarist, the pick is to blame for cancer
The music legend has his own theory as to why he got sick. According to “TMZ,” she assumes that her metal guitar pick, which she kept in her mouth on stage for decades, is to blame for the disease. In addition, the musician regularly used alcohol and drugs in the past. Eddie Van Halen was also a chain smoker for many years.
Edward Lodewijk (Eddie) Van Halen was one of the most stylistic and influential guitarists in rock and related music genres. In October 2012, Van Halen was voted the greatest guitarist of all time by the readers of Guitar World.
Musically they remained successful for decades, but in private life it was more difficult for Eddie van Halen. He divorced his first wife, actress Valerie Bertinelli, in 2007. In 2009 he married Janie Liszewski. Over and over he spoke openly about his addiction to alcohol and drugs. He said he got rid of it, but the excess left its mark. (szm / euc / fmü / kes / SDA)
