Eddie Van Halen, the legendary guitarist and co-founder of Van Halen, died on October 6 at 65 after a long battle with throat cancer confirms the rockstar’s family. The rockstar’s condition reportedly deteriorated quickly in the last 72 hours after the cancer was discovered to have spread to other vital organs.
Eddie Van Halen is widely celebrated as one of the most influential guitarists of all time, whose band has essentially come to define the sound of the 80’s. Van Halen formed the self-named group with his brother Alex, Michael Anthony, and of course vocalist David Lee Roth. Roth would later by replaced by Sammy Hagar following his departure from the group in 1985, but not before netting decade-defining hits like “Unchained,” “Jump,” and “Runnin’ With The Devil,”—to say nothing of his unforgettable riff on Michael Jackson‘s iconic “Beat It.” Rock and Roll has lost another legend, chiseling another notch onto 2020’s Belt of Misery. Turn on “Panama” extra loud today and pour one out.
