Legendary Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen passes away at the age of 65

Legendary and pioneering guitarist Eddie Van Halen has sadly passed away at the age of 65 after a battle with throat cancer. His son broke the news via social media just a short time ago. 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. 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’ll ever fully recover from this loss. I love you so much, Pop.”

Widely considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Eddie Van Halen pioneered a guitar technique known as “tapping”, and while he didn’t invent it (Genesis’s Steve Hackett arguably did), he certainly had a strong hand in helping to popularize it. With Van Halen, the success was almost instant – songs like “Eruption” and “Runnin’ With The Devil” established the band as one of the Sunset Strip’s hottest acts, and was one of two Van Halen records to go Diamond.