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Guitar rock legend Eddie Van Halen dies of cancer at 65

Posted October 06, 2020 7:00 am

By MARK KENNEDY

FILE - In this June 22, 2004, file photo, Eddie Van Halen plays the final chord of "Jump" during the Van Halen concert at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N,.J. Eddie Van Halen, the guitar virtuoso whose blinding speed, control and innovation propelled his band Van Halen into one of hard rock's biggest groups, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. Van Halen, who had battled cancer, was 65. (John Munson/NJ Advance Media via AP) The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Eddie Van Halen, the guitar virtuoso whose blinding speed, control and innovation propelled his band Van Halen into one of hard rock's biggest groups and became elevated to the status of rock god, has died. He was 65.

'œHe was the best father I could ask for,'ť Van Halen's son, Wolfgang, wrote in a social media post. 'œEvery moment I've shared with him on and off stage was a gift.'ť

With his distinct solos, Eddie Van Halen fueled the ultimate California party band and helped knock disco off the charts starting in the late 1970s with his band's self-titled debut album and then with the blockbuster record 'œ1984,'ť which contains the classics 'œJump,'ť 'œPanama'ť and 'œHot for Teacher.'ť

Van Halen is among the top 20 best-selling artists of all time, and the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. Rolling Stone magazine put Eddie Van Halen at No. 8 in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists.

Eddie Van Halen was something of a musical contradiction. He was an autodidact who could play almost any instrument, but he couldn't read music. He was a classically trained pianist who also created some of the most distinctive guitar riffs in rock history. He was a Dutch immigrant who was considered one of the greatest American guitarists of his generation.

'œYou changed our world. You were the Mozart of rock guitar. Travel safe, rockstar,'ť Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx said on Twitter. Added Lenny Kravitz: 'œHeaven will be electric tonight.'ť

The members of Van Halen - the two Van Halen brothers, Eddie and Alex; vocalist David Lee Roth; and bassist Michael Anthony - formed in 1974 in Pasadena, California. They were members of rival high school bands and then attended Pasadena City College together. They combined to form the band Mammoth, but then changed to Van Halen after discovering there was another band called Mammoth.

Their 1978 release 'œVan Halen'ť opened with a blistering 'œRunnin' With the Devil'ť and then Eddie Van Halen showed off his astonishing skills in the next song, 'œEruption,'ť a furious 1:42 minute guitar solo that swoops and soars like a deranged bird. The album also contained a cover of the Kinks' 'œYou Really Got Me'ť and 'œAin't Talkin' 'Bout Love.'ť

Van Halen released albums on a yearly timetable - 'œVan Halen II'ť (1979), 'œWomen and Children First'ť (1980), 'œFair Warning'ť (1981) and 'œDiver Down'ť (1982) - until the monumental 'œ1984,'ť which hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album charts (only behind Michael Jackson's 'œThriller'ť). Rolling Stone ranked 'œ1984'ť No. 81 on its list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s.

'œEddie put the smile back in rock guitar, at a time when it was all getting a bit brooding. He also scared the hell out of a million guitarists around the world, because he was so damn good. And original,'ť Joe Satriani, a fellow virtuoso, told Billboard in 2015.

Van Halen also played guitar on one of the biggest singles of the 1980s: Jackson's 'œBeat It.'ť His solo lasted all of 20 seconds and took only a half an hour to record. He did it as a favor to producer Quincy Jones, while the rest of his Van Halen bandmates were out of town.

Van Halen received no compensation or credit for the work, even though he rearranged the section he played on. 'œIt was 20 minutes of my life. I didn't want anything for doing that,'ť he told Billboard in 2015. Rolling Stone ranked 'œBeat It'ť No. 344 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Jackson's melding of hard rock and R&B preceded the meeting of Run-DMC and Aerosmith by four years.

But strains between Roth and the band erupted after their 1984 world tour and Roth left. The group then recruited Sammy Hagar as lead singer -some critics called the new formulation 'œVan Hagar'ť - and the band went on to score its first No. 1 album with 'œ5150,'ť More studio albums followed, including 'œOU812,'ť 'œFor Unlawful Carnal Knowledge'ť and 'œBalance.'ť Hit singles included 'œWhy Can't This Be Love'ť and 'œWhen It's Love.'ť

Hagar was ousted in 1996 and former Extreme singer Gary Cherone stepped in for the album 'œVan Halen III,'ť a stumble that didn't lead to another album and the quick departure of Cherone. Roth would eventually return in 2007 and team up with the Van Halen brothers.

Eddie Van Halen was born in Amsterdam and his family immigrated to California in 1962 when he was 7. At one point, Eddie got a drum set, which his older brother coveted.

'œI never wanted to play guitar,'ť he confessed at a talk at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 2015. But his brother was good at the drums, so Eddie gave into his brother's wishes: 'œI said, '~Go ahead, take my drums. I'll play your damn guitar.''ť

AP Music Editor Mesfin Fekadu contributed to this report.

___

Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2004 file photo, Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen performs in Phoenix. Van Halen, who had battled mouth cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (AP Photo/Tom Hood, File) The Associated Press

FILE - David Lee Roth, left, and Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen perform on Aug. 13, 2015, in Wantagh, N.Y. Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP, File) The Associated Press

FILE - Musician Eddie Van Halen poses with his "Frankenstein guitar" before the "What It Means to Be American" program at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington on Feb. 12, 2015. Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File) The Associated Press

FILE - This July 14, 1984 file photo shows Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen, left, performing "Beat It" with Michael Jackson during Jackson's Victory Tour concert in Irving, Texas. Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File) The Associated Press

FILE - Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen performs on Aug. 13, 2015, in Wantagh, N.Y. Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP, File) The Associated Press

FILE - Valerie Bertinelli, left, arrives at the premiere of the film "America's Sweethearts" with husband Eddie Van Halen in Los Angeles on July 17, 2001. Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File) The Associated Press

FILE - *Van Halen is seen in Los Angeles, Jan. 17, 1993. Members of Van Halen, from left, left, Michael Anthony, bass guitar, Sammy Hagar, lead singer, Alex Van Halen, drums, and Eddie Van Halen, lead guitar appear in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 1993. Eddie Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File) The Associated Press

FILE- The rock group Van Halen, clockwise from left: Alex Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar appear in a 1988 photo. Eddie Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (AP Photo/File) The Associated Press

FILE - David Lee Roth, left, and Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen perform in Wantagh, N.Y. on Aug. 13, 2015. Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP, File) The Associated Press

FILE - This June 1, 2012 file photo shows guitarist Eddie Van Halen of the band Van Halen performing in Los Angeles. Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, file) The Associated Press

FILE - Musician Eddie Van Halen and his wife Janie Liszewski attend the Esquire 80th Anniversary and Network Launch Event in New York on Sept. 17, 2013. Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) The Associated Press

FILE - Eddie Van Halen appears during a news conference in Los Angeles on Aug. 13, 2007. Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian,Ffile) The Associated Press

FILE - Eddie Van Halen, left, embraces his son Wolfgang Van Halen after the rock group Van Halen officially announced their North American tour during a news conference in Los Angeles on Aug. 13, 2007. Eddie Van Halen, who had battled cancer, died Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. He was 65. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File) The Associated Press

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