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Eddie Van Halen, the virtuoso guitarist whose groundbreaking and gripping solos helped propel his namesake band to one of rock’s greatest acts in the 1980s, has died of cancer. He was 65 years old.
Wolf van halen
(@WolfVanHalen)
Van Halen’s son Wolfgang, who became the band’s bassist when they reunited in 2007, announced the news on Twitter Tuesday.
“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,” she wrote.
“He was the best father I could ask for. Every moment I have shared with him on and off stage was a gift.
“My heart is broken and I don’t think I will ever fully recover from this loss.”
He added, “I love you very much, Dad.”
Van Halen, born in 1955 in Amsterdam and raised in Pasadena, California, formed the band along with his brother Alex, bassist Michael Anthony and singer David Lee Roth in 1974, after the group met while attending Pasadena City College. .
The band cut their teeth playing West Hollywood clubs before breaking onto the rock scene in 1978 with their self-titled debut album, which eventually sold more than 10 million copies as part of a wave of hard rock that led to music. album off the charts.
The group, one of the top 20 best-selling artists of all time, fell apart and released multi-platinum albums five years in a row: Van Halen II (1979), Women and Children First (1980), Fair Warning (1981), Diver Down ( 1982) and finally his biggest hit, 1984.
The album included the hits Jump, Panama, and Hot for Teacher. Aside from the band, Eddie Van Halen also contributed the signature guitar solo to Michael Jackson’s 1982 smash hit, Beat It.
Beginning with a fiery solo on Eruption from their debut album, Eddie Van Halen’s distinctive and acrobatic way of playing guitar fueled the band’s appeal, earning it a reputation as one of the rock greats of all time. .
Van Halen, who grew up idolizing Eric Clapton, pioneered his own dynamic style, often playing with both hands on the guitar neck, modeled after a generation of guitarists. “I do what I want,” he said in an interview with Guitar Player in 1978. “I don’t really think about it too much … It’s all pretty spontaneous.”
Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready told Rolling Stone that Van Halen’s performance “sounded like it came from another planet … [I]It was glorious, like listening to Mozart for the first time. ”In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked him the eighth greatest guitarist of all time, between Chuck Berry and Duane Allman.
Van Halen, a self-taught who could play many instruments but could not read music, also battled numerous health problems during the band’s decades-long career.
Plagued by joint pain exacerbated by onstage antics, he underwent hip replacement in 1999 and partial removal of his tongue for cancer in 2000. Struggles with drug addiction and alcoholism contributed to his divorce. from TV star Valerie Bertinelli in 2007, the same year she started a rehab stint and reunited with Van Halen, with Wolfgang, 16 at the time, on bass.
He is survived by his second wife, Janie Liszewski, a former publicist for the band, whom he married in 2009, and Wolfgang.
Artists paying tribute include Gene Simmons, who said, “My heart is broken. Eddie was not only a guitar god, but a truly beautiful soul, ”while Simmons’s Kiss bandmate Paul Stanley said he was“ a pioneer and someone who always gave his all for his music. A good soul. “
Lenny Kravitz said that “the sky will be electric tonight”, while John Mayer described Van Halen as “an incredibly good musician and composer. Watching him as a kid was one of the driving forces behind my need to pick up a guitar. I was so impressed to see him exert so much control and expression over his instrument. “
Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crüe also compared it to Mozart and added: “You changed our world.” Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler said Van Halen was “one of the kindest and most down-to-earth men I have ever met and traveled with. A true gentleman and a true genius. “
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