The Tragic History of Eddie Van Halen

What if I told you that Eddie Van Halen's death was totally avoidable and that the legendary musician should still be alive today, widely considered one of the greatest guitarists in rock

history

? Eddie left behind not only an incomparable musical legacy but also a loving son, why? Couldn't he prevent his death despite having multiple opportunities to do so? We will discover the

tragic

details of his death later and, at the end of the video, we will learn the shocking theory that Eddie himself believed about his own death, but first we must go back to January 26, 1955, the day of Edward Lovic Van Halen's birth. , son of Dutch musician Yan Van Halen and Indonesian mother Eugenia.

Eddie's upbringing was an intriguing mix of cultures. The family settled in the Netherlands, where his brother Alex was born in 1953, followed by Eddie. 2 years later, facing the harsh reality of racism and prejudice due to their mixed-race relationship, Eddie's parents made a life-changing decision in 1962, when Eddie was just 7 years old, they moved the family to the United States. . We arrived in the United States on a boat. Nine days on the ship my father was a professional musician, he played on the ship with the band and that was our ticket to come here when we finally got to Pasad in California, it was hard, we lived in one room, we slept in one bed. in a house with two other families, so it was difficult as immigrants who did not speak English fluently, the two brothers often found themselves attacked and subjected to bullying and the fact that they were mixed race in a previous era to the Civil Rights Act only.

Adding to their struggles, the school we went to was still segregated at the time, believe it or not, and since we couldn't speak the language, we were considered a minority and yeah, it was beyond scary, I don't even know. They know how to explain that in the midst of their culture shock the brothers found solace in music, although their parents had initially imagined them as classical pianists, an unexpected encounter with the Beatles ignited a musical revolution within the brothers that distanced them from tradition and brought them closer to the captivating kingdom of Ra Ro. and roll, however, they would soon experience a surprising twist of fate as they decided which instruments to play.

Alex stopped playing the piano and my mom started playing. for the kit while I was throwing out the papers, Al played drums and he became better than me once I found out that I was actually better at guitar than drums and that Al was better at drums than guitar, It worked from that moment on. Eddie immersed himself in the instrument, often using his guitar as he wandered around his childhood home practicing strings during this formative period. Eddie's father introduced him to alcohol at a young age of 12, as he was an alcoholic himself and taught Eddie to rely on alcohol to calm his nerves.

Before acting on his own coping mechanism, Yan didn't know that this well-intentioned bad advice would eventually pave the way for his son's untimely death, but for now the Van Halen brothers had their eyes set on musical stardom by forming the band Mammoth. in 1972, however none. Of the brothers had a desire to take on the role of lead singer, leaving an empty space waiting to be filled, enter David Lee Roth, a local teenager whose background couldn't be more different from that of the rich-born Van Halen. Roth's ambition to become a rock star was fueled by the relentless financial support of his family despite his previous attempts to forge a successful music career.

It wasn't until he met the Van Halen brothers that he saw his ticket to the top, although Eddie initially didn't like Roth. The Roth gang's secret weapon would turn out to be a state-of-the-art public address system generously provided by his father, recognizing the value of his sound system. Roth used him as leverage to convince the brothers to let him into the band with the addition of bassist Michael Anthony in 1974, when the Mammoth lineup was finally complete, it quickly became apparent, however, that Roth's vision Roth for the band was at odds with Eddy igniting a lasting tension that would shape their relationship for years to come.

Him and everyone were the leaders of Black Sabbath and dark purple didn't want to listen to the only white thing I wanted to listen to was the drummer and the Sly and the Family stuff, they were playing good music of course Eddie is incendiary it's just wow but Nobody could dance with their stuff, you have to understand that. something soft and some Groove baby you gotta be like that and I told them when you play the guitar you like this but you ain't gonna get girls like that you gotta be a little soft and that's how I told them He, driven by a thirst commercially successful, Roth even urged the band to change their name from Mammoth to Van Halen, convinced it would give them a more marketable edge.

The band began their rise by performing at backyard parties, honing their talents and making a name for themselves. one fan at a time we did our own concerts we played backyard parties we printed our own flyers and went to full lockers at high schools we played in high school we played everywhere and that meant 545 minute sets a night five six nights yeah We could get it, we'd play ping pong all over Southland. It wasn't until the band started playing on The Sunset Strip that they finally got their big break. They discovered us that the president of Warner Brothers came and saw us playing.

One night in a bar we were playing for free and he came with our producer Ted Templeman, there was no one there, it was like five people, but they played like they were in a Coliseum, the energy and Dave was jumping and Ed, the best musician I knew. that I had ever seen in my life and uh, they said we wanted to sign you when the band started working on their debut album. Roth's pop sensibility worked in perfect harmony with Eddie's mind-bending riffs, leading the group on an inspired songwriting spree. Surprisingly, the label decided to release a cover of The Kinks You Really Got Me as the band's first single, which left Eddie disappointed that one of his original songs was not chosen.

Instead, this marked the beginning of a recurring frustration for the guitarist, as the covers would become a major source of conflict within his group. the band in later years, however, the group's release of the 1978 studio album was an absolute triumph. Van Halen's boldly self-titled album shot to No. 19 on the Billboard charts, establishing itself as one of the most commercially successful rock debuts in the band's

history

. As they embarked on their subsequent tour, the differences between Roth and Eddie became apparent as Eddie remained focused on the music. Roth showed a tendency toward tricks and spectacles. The band would return to the studio later that year to record their second album, Van Halen 2, which solidified their status as the best party band of the decade, soaring to the number six position on the Billboard charts upon its release in 1979.

Over the next four years Van Halen embarked on Relentless tours, spending no more than two weeks recording each subsequent album, their third LP. and Children first hit shelves in 1980, further exemplifying their platinum-selling prowess for Warner Brothers records. However, it was during the making of their fourth album that Eddie and Roth's artistic differences worsened to the point where the band was in a constant state of internal turmoil. For Edward and I there's a lot of whatever that chemical is in guys, we're both competitive with an obsessive nature, uh whatever you call obsessive compulsive. Eddie's marriage to actress Valerie Bertelli, whom he had just met 8 months earlier, only intensified the band's discontent, Roth in particular.

He resented the media attention Eddie was receiving, fueling his already bruised ego and further widening the gap between the band's two creative forces as the Split deepened. Eddie began to feel that Roth had assumed too much control over the band's creative direction and was holding him back. The guitarist would then take control of the production of his fourth LP, even sneaking into the studio after hours to completely re-record the album to his liking. Fair warning was a difficult time for the band in terms of uh a little dark. recording, yes it was, it was also a dark experience with internal things starting to fall apart with Dave as an outsider.

I could see what Ed was going through and he spent a lot of time making that record. He would go down until sunset. Time with Don Lanyard Engineer at 4:00 in the morning and I do my guitar solos and do stuff and the next day everyone walks in they didn't even know it. Unfortunately for Eddie, his experimental album Fair Warning turned out to be Van Halen's slowest-selling album. During the decade following its 1981 release the following year, the band sought a much-needed break and made plans to go on a brief hiatus, however their break was abruptly cut short when Warner Brothers pressured the band to return to the album. studio to make a new album.

Reluctantly leading the group into compliance, Roth would later pressure his bandmates to record a series of cover songs, much to Eddie's dismay, when the recording sessions were completed, nearly half of the songs on the album titled Diver Down were remakes of existing songs, leaving Eddie completely. Disillusioned, Eddie was deeply dissatisfied with him. They only had 12 days to record it. There were five covers. It was done very quickly. Eddie would complain bitterly about that record later. One can only imagine his frustration when Diver Down became a spectacular success. success after its release in 1982 due to the album Triumph.

Roth's ego doubled in size as did his frustration with his role in the gang behind his mischievous facade. Roth felt that he had outgrown his position as Eddie's sidekick, a feeling that only worsened as Eddie constructed a cutting-edge album. recording studio in his house, deliberately isolating himself from any outside creative input, that's why I built Studio because I'd rather bomb with my own music than be the biggest cover band in the world, so to speak. Eddie would work in his private home studio for the next 6 months secretly creating a new sound for the band without any outside interference.

Roth resented being left out, but his dismay reaches New Heights when he finally listens to the final songs and discovers that Eddie had all but abandoned his guitar in favor of synthesizers, although this marked a colossal departure from his project. . established sound Eddie's risky move paid off and his resulting album, aptly titled 1984 Soares, became the most monumental number one headliner on the Jump charts with a staggering 5 million copies sold in just one year of its release. The success of the album marked a turning point. Unfortunately for Van Halen, this achievement would take its toll on the band as greed began to overshadow their unity.

Up to this point, the band's earnings were distributed equally among the four members; However, Roth and the Van Halen brothers believed that Michael Anthony did not deserve an award. equal share in the band's capital in a move described by the band's manager, NL Monk, as the most despicable act he had witnessed in his 40 years in the music industry, the trio pressured Anthony to resign from all songwriting credits and future royalties, effectively reducing Anthony to the status of a paid employee rather than an equal member of the band, but despite Roth's increased earnings, he still yearned for a more prominent position within the band's hierarchy. the band, so at the end of the 1984 tour cycle, David Lee Roth made the final decision: he officially left Van Halen.

Because you left? Why did I go out? I am addicted to work. I like to travel. I like it. I like to go on tour after a while. You know, that kind of activity slows down a little bit. Some people you know get married. Some people. I found other interests besides that kind of nomadic existence and I skipped the beat. The most explosive rock group in the world seemed to fade away in a whisper. Reports from people close to the band suggest that Eddie was devastated by Root's death. departure, realizing that he had lost one of the greatest frontmen in American rock history when Dave left the band.

Alex Mike and I were pretty devastated. 11 years, so to speak, and he just walked, he left, we got very angry, we just came off a major tour in 1984, it was the biggest selling record we ever had, it went to number two on the billboard, we had the first number . a single, uh, everywhere we played was sold out, uh, and we were anxious to go and make the next record because Edward had written a lot of music and, um, Dave wanted to be a movie star, oh, that's it Ridiculous, no, Edward says that becausewants. You know, regardless of the real cause of Roth's departure, one burning question remains: Can Van Halen survive without David Lee Roth in their search for a new man, Eddie?

Van Halen contacted renowned soloist Sammy Hagar in November 1985, almost a decade older than Eddie Hagar, he was part of the generation of rockers who had inspired the guitarist, but with a successful solo career, Hagar is unsure of the prospect, However, out of courtesy, he agreed to fly to Los Angeles to meet with Eddie, but once Hagar heard the brilliance of the songs he was working on, he couldn't resist the opportunity to become Van Halen's new lead singer with the incorporation of Sammy Hagar, the band's creative. The fire was rekindled, ushering in what fans affectionately call the Van Hagar era.

All the people from the record companies and a lot of people from the press who come to the interviews. You know everyone had their doubts. You could read it in his eyes as if I didn't. You know, you know, it's a great move, you know, without Dave, you know, Van Halen might be nothing, you know, and uh, we were just smiling, you know, our confidence level was very high because you know we were writing this stuff that came out. on this album and we listened to it every day and were like, "This is great. You know, can you imagine when this comes out?" And it did indeed work on their first album together in 1986. 5150 would even reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart, surpassing their previous album 1984 and this was just the beginning, as the next three albums released by the band over the next decade reached number one on the charts.

They accepted Sammy as if he were with us. You know, it's like no one cared about Dave, but as the years went by, Hagar found herself drifting away from Van Halen largely due to the brother's problems with alcohol and other substances that didn't stop the band from embarking on The grueling 13th day balance tour in 1995, it was during this tour that Eddie began to suffer crippling pain in his hip, unknowingly he was dealing with avascular necrosis, a bone disease often associated with alcoholism that eventually leads to bone collapse due to lack of blood supply, although he was scheduled for surgery after the tour.

Eddie decided to prioritize his need to act and postpone surgery. Little did he know that this decision would have devastating consequences later as the relationship between Sammi Hagar and Van Halen sank to an unprecedented level. In March 1995, the band's decision to release a greatest hits album caused a great deal of controversy between them. Hagar saw this move as a cheap money grab and expressed strong disapproval, but he was outvoted by the Van Halen brothers, you know Ed. Trying to do things the way they want and not having any guidance, has been a real problem. in Van, it's been a problem for Dave, obviously, it's certainly been a problem for me because his brothers are very close, they're as close as everyone else.

He seems like an outsider and I think that's the problem because you know we're not outsiders and they had to learn to trust other people, they don't trust anyone, just two months later, the band's new manager, Ray Daniels, decided that Van Halen needed new songs. to promote the greatest hits album, however, Hagar had taken time away from the band to prepare for the upcoming birth of his son Andrew, facing Eddie's insistence. Hagar and his wife reluctantly agreed to fly to Los Angeles for what was expected to be a short trip. Upon landing at LAX, they were informed that his pregnancy was too far along to return home to Hawaii as initially planned, completely disrupting their carefully designed birth plan.

This turn of events led to a heated argument that ultimately resulted in Hagar's firing. Eddie called me. on Father's Day morning and he says and you've always been a solar well, you might as well go back to being a solar in quotes exactly that and I said wow, I mean I was on the floor. I just looked at my wife and said As if you're not going to believe this, you know what Sammy didn't know was that Van Halen had a backup plan behind the scenes, they had been involved in secret negotiations with David Lee Roth to also contribute new material. to the next Greatest Hits album and so on At the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards, a newly reunited Van Halen would surprise the world by taking the stage to present the award for best male video, but what began as a triumphant return quickly became in a disastrous disaster.

Roth couldn't help but go off script enjoying himself. At The Limelight, a visibly irritated Eddie Van Halen had to intervene to pull Roth away from the microphone, but that wasn't the end of the drama. Backstage tempers flared with Roth and Eddie almost coming to blows on stage. Mischief I, for one, thought they were. It's embarrassing, uh, and disrespectful to dissect, very disrespectful to Beck as he tries, you know, this acceptance speech, any day behind making this deck, you know, and it's like I don't know, to me it was embarrassing, but It was more behind the scenes where he. basically spitting in my face their reunion plans completely fell apart leaving Van Halen at a crossroads their search for another new lead singer led them to Gary Chiron unfortunately Van Halen's first release with their new frontman Van Halen 3 went down poorly sales performance under increasing pressure from their label, the band decided to part ways with Chiron in 1999 as fans wondered about the band's future.

Eddie faced a new battle of his own. Ignoring urgent hip replacement surgery took a toll on his health, forcing her to face the reality of his declining physical condition. He finally underwent the necessary surgery in 1999, after which he sought solace in his personal life enjoying Precious Moments with his wife Valerie and son Wolf Gang, but just when life seemed to take a positive turn, the guitarist would face a devastating setback during a routine dental checkup. His dentist discovered abnormal scar tissue, prompting urgent follow-up biopsies that revealed the heartbreaking news. Eddie had tongue cancer after the diagnosis.

Eddie quietly embarked on chemotherapy treatments in Houston, Texas. He also delved into alternative medicine and eventually had a significant portion of his tongue removed. Eddie bravely fought cancer and completely removed himself from the public eye, but just two years after his initial diagnosis, Eddie proudly announced his triumph over cancer; However, the battle was far from over, his doctors warned him that if he continued smoking, his cancer would inevitably return. The guitarist decided to ignore his doctor's advice, casting a shadow of uncertainty and worry over his future in the spring of 2002. Eddie and his wife Valerie announced that they were separating and divorcing.

It ended 5 years later. Eddie's life was in a downward spiral not only in his personal life, but also in his musical career, at that time Van Halen had no record contract or lead singer and the situation seemed dire, but a visit from his former bandmate Samy Hagar in 2003 would reveal the true extent of Eddie's struggles upon arriving at Eddie's house. home Hagar was horrified by what he saw Eddie was in a terrible state living in what Hagar described as a hobo shack deep in his depression Eddie turned to drugs and alcohol with his decaying teeth even becoming visible signs of his self-destruction I went in and I saw him, he was in such bad shape and he said: You okay, man, I'm going, yeah, what's wrong with you?

You look a little beat up. Here this guy is missing some teeth. He is looking. I thought it was Ed. You need like you. you know, and he tells me that and I'm thinking, gee, and then he says, hey, give me a hug and it's like, oh yeah, you know, give the guy a hug, you know, because he's got a big heart to bring out. to Eddie about this. Spiral Van Halen reformed and reunited with Sammi Hagar, however, Michael Anthony was not invited to join the reformed band, this led to a falling out as Hagar refused to continue without Anthony.

It's really irritating to see them go after Mikey. Mikey never did anything for Van Halen he never did anything to hurt those guys and they tried to hurt him again and again, eventually the Bas player had to make significant sacrifices, take a considerable pay cut and give up all rights to the name and logo of the band just to be part of it. During the tour, the four musicians would go on tour in 2004 in the hopes of revitalizing Eddie, but the opposite was what happened. Eddie's shockingly unhealthy appearance and drunken behavior on stage left fans disappointed, as he no longer acted like the Rock God he once was.

It's really strange to see that happen, but you know Ed was sick. I didn't realize that nobody realized how sick I really was, obviously, until people can't do their jobs, that's when I come in and say, hey, this is sick, man. you know you played like that and it's embarrassing for me to have to try to sing you're so out of tune, you know that's what was happening on the reunion tour and that's when we crashed, that's when it really got bad, it was like well, you know , by the end of the tour it was clear that Eddie was going through one of the lowest points of his life, but Rock Bottom was still to come; in fact, he was just around the corner after the ill-fated 2004 Hagar Eleven tour.

He once again left Van Halen and the band gradually faded from the spotlight, but in a surprising turn of events, 2007 saw the return of Van Halen with none other than David Lee Roth reclaiming his place as the band's leader. and ddy Son Wolf Gang taking bass instead. by Michael Anthony I think you know everyone here Wolf Gang Edward myself Diamond Dave this is Alex I would like to start with this however Eddie's personal demons were threatening to derail his comeback an unfortunate incident where Eddie was visibly drunk on stage led to a heated confrontation between the Wolf Gang and his drunken father that sparked a major turning point in the guitarist's tumultuous journey toward sobriety throughout Eddie's life.

Numerous attempts to curb his addiction to alcohol and drugs had failed until the unwavering insistence of the Wolf Gang finally struck a chord inspired by his son Eddie embarking on a transformative path to recovery. I got sober during that first time and I was very nervous and every time I looked at my son I was doing well if my 16 year old son could kick ass like that. You better hold on here, he gave me the strength to be able to do that. Eddie's personal life took a turn and he crossed paths with Janie Leeski whom he married in 2009 to celebrate their union.

Eddie raised a glass of non-alcoholic cider marking a major milestone in his transformation. Additionally, the guitarist said goodbye to his smoking habit and in 2015 he embarked on a tour while maintaining his sobriety for the first time and then Eddie's Health plunged dramatically into 2017, was kind of the beginning of everything. it kept building and building and never let up at the end of 2017. He was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and the doctors said he was 6 weeks old and then he went to Germany but he had this crazy procedure called the gamma knife radiation procedure and it was fine, however, in March 2020, a global crisis sent shockwaves around the world, ushering in a widespread lockdown.

This dealt a severe blow to Eddie, as Germany's strictly closed borders sealed his access to life-prolonging treatment. In the following months, the immunocompromised musician withdrew from public view and opted for self-isolation as his health slowly deteriorated. Several months later, Eddie was hospitalized for pneumonia, followed by a debilitating stroke that left him unable to speak and dependent on oxygen. The situation worsened when he experienced another massive stroke the following month, prompting his brother Alex to urgently summon the rest of the family to the hospital on the morning of October 6, 2020. Eddie's breathing gradually slowed and he lay in On his deathbed surrounded by his closest relatives, Wolf Gang, Janie Alex and even his ex-wife Valerie, mustering the last ounce of energy he had, Eddie mustered the strength to say "I love you" to those gathered in the room before take his last breath at 10:14 a.m. m., we have some breaking news for you and sad news. that from the world of music, legendary musician and Van Halen co-founder Eddie Van Halen has died.

My heart is broken. Not only was he a guitar God to millions of people, but Eddie was a gentle soul. Rest in peace. Edie, any child who ever lived. I looked at the electric guitar, I had to think about Eddie Van Halen, he was an innovator, a genuine and unique soul, and yes, there is a huge guy there, now forever, he changed the way we play the guitar, but he was an incredible musician, an incredible guitarist, aIncredible innovative and just hell. of a guy and you know, we really lost a major contributor to rock and roll today.

Eddie's death certificate attributes his passing to a stroke resulting from his body being ravaged by cancer, however, Eddie had his own unique theories about the origins of his illness during an interview on the Howard Stern Show in September 2006, the guitarist made a series of peculiar statements that caught everyone's attention and you didn't even stop smoking after you were cured, right, no, because smoking was not the cause in my recording. The study was a metal spike hanging from my mouth. It's basically like playing golf in a thunderstorm. Are you saying a metal pick gave you tongue cancer?

Yes, because it picked up radiation from all the equipment you use, Ed. That's correct, according to Eddie. When he placed his metal pick in his mouth to play his iconic tapping riffs, the electromagnetic field from the studio equipment was conducted through the pick and onto his tongue, while forensic pathologists deemed it unlikely that this directly caused the cancer. Eddie's fatal tongue, his conviction in this belief did play. a role at the time, Eddie reasoned that since the disease had not yet spread to his lungs, smoking could not have been the cause, so he continued smoking without realizing the grave mistake he was making in the wake of passing speculation. from Eddie about a possible Van.

The Halen tribute show spread quickly, rumors gaining momentum until Eddie's son stepped in to address them and clarified that although a tribute show had initially been planned, it was ultimately scrapped due to disagreements between the surviving members of Van Halen in August. 2023. The Wolf Gang officially declared the band Van Halen over, however, their remarkable legacy lives on and Van Halen's deepest impact lies in the hearts of the countless young fans who Eddie inspired to take up the guitar, many of who have since left their own indelible mark on the music industry ensuring that the genius of Eddie Van Halen will always be remembered.