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.
