Legendary American-Dutch rock star Eddie Van Halen has passed away at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer that had reportedly spread to his brain.
As TMZ confirmed, the Van Halen band’s founder and guitarist passed away in the presence of his loved ones including wife Janie, brother Alex, and son Wolfgang.
Speaking of his father’s death in a Twitter post, Wolfgang 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.”
As the grieving son went on to add, he feels grateful for every moment he had spent with his iconic dad.
“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 will ever fully recover from this loss,” Wolfgang added.
According to TMZ, Van Halen’s condition had worsened in the final days of his life, whereas his throat cancer reportedly spread to his brain and throughout his body.
The legendary rock star was best known for founding the Van Halen band together with his drummer brother Alex back in 1972.
The rock band’s classic lineup included Eddie Van Halen as the guitarist, Alex Van Halen as the drummer, Michael Anthony as the bassist, and David Lee Roth as the vocalist.
In 2007, following decades of successful performing, Van Halen was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The group remains one of the world’s most popular rock bands with all-time US album sales surpassing the 56 million mark and two of their albums hitting the ‘Diamond’ status.
Besides marking the name of his band in the history of music, Eddie Van Halen has also been named one of the best guitarists in the world by various magazines including the Rolling Stone.
May he rest in peace.
Replaced!