LAS VEGAS, NV – MAY 17: Musician Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen performs onstage during the 2015 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images).
Eddie Van Halen, legendary guitarist and Van Halen co-founder, has died at the age of 65 after a battle with throat cancer. According to TMZ, Van Halen died Tuesday at St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica, with his wife Janie and son Wolfgang by his side. Eddie had been battling cancer for over a decade and had recently begun chemotherapy treatments. TMZ reports that his health had gone “massively downhill” in the last 72 hours.
— Wolf Van Halen (@WolfVanHalen) October 6, 2020
Eddie founded Van Halen in 1972 with David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, and his brother Alex Van Halen. They would go on to become one of the most influential and popular hard rock bands of all time. He also played the guitar solo in Michael Jackson‘s 1983 mega-hit “Beat It”.
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