Eddie Van Halen died

Guitarist Eddie Van Halen, co-founder of the band Van Halen, has passed away at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer. Eddie, along with brother Alex, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth were in the original lineup of Van Halen, in 2006 Eddie’s son Wolfgang took over the bass role. It was he who announced the death of the musician.

Eddie was born in Amsterdam to a family of musicians – his father played clarinet, saxophone and piano. Van Halen himself learned to play the piano, then switched to drums, and then the guitar, playing with his brother at weddings and other events.

Van Halen was formed in the early 70s, and the first album was released only in 1978, and the sixth album, released in 1984, became the most successful release – it was on this album that the single “Jump” was released, the only one to take first place in the charts. Outside the band, Eddie Van Halen was also known as the guitarist who played Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” in 1983. In 2007, Eddie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his guitar prowess. He is especially famous for popularizing the tapping technique and prompting many guitarists of the 80s to use it.

In 2001, Van Halen reported that he had tongue cancer, but he successfully dealt with it in 2002. Last year, however, TMZ reported that he had been undergoing treatment for throat cancer for five years in Germany and the United States. During his treatment, Van Halen continued to perform and rehearse with his son. The cause of death was complications caused by lung cancer, according to the TMZ portal.