Eddie Van Halen's Son Shares Heartbreaking Tribute To His Dad
Rock star Eddie Van Halen, who TMZ describes as a legendary guitarist and one of the founding members of rock group Van Halen, has died at age 65 after a battle with throat cancer. Sharing this sad news was Eddie's son Wolfgang, who posted a touching tribute to his father on the social media platform Instagram the afternoon of October 6th. Alongside a black and white photo of the rock and roll icon smiling and laughing, Wolfgang wrote a message about the devastating loss, captioning the post, "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."
Wolfgang went on to describe his father Eddie as "the best father I could ever ask for" and stated that every moment they shared together both on and off the stage was "a gift." According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Wolfgang joined his father as the bassist for Van Halen in 2007, at the young age of 15.
Eddie Van Halen will be missed by friends and fans alike
In his Instagram post, Wolfgang Van Halen continued to express his grief at his father's passing, writing, "My heart is broken and I don't think I'll ever fully recover from this loss. I love you so much, Pop." Supporters and fans of the musical group were quick to reach out and share how much Eddie Van Halen meant to them, as well as send their love and prayers to the Van Halen family. User @mamacita75 wrote, "Your dad is one of the greatest things that happened to me... 1984 came out on my 9th birthday. I have lived and breathed that band my whole life. You are a gift to the world and we all love you and your momma something fierce."
Other musicians reached out to express their sympathy to the Van Halen family as well, with Brad Wilk from Rage Against the Machine sharing, "He was the spark that made me want to be a musician," and pop musician and actress Aly Michalka writing, "Your Dad loved you so much, that was beyond apparent. I hope you know he will follow you forever in everything you do."