Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang remembers rock legend a year after his death: “It’s just so unfair”
Van Halen died aged 65 last year after a long battle with cancer
By Emma Kelly
Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang has shared a tribute to the rocker on the one year anniversary of his death.
The guitarist and co-founder of classic rock band Van Halen died on October 6 2020 at the age of 65, after a long battle with cancer.
His only son Wolfgang, who Van Halen shared with his ex-wife, actress Valerie Bertinelli, shared a picture of himself and his late dad to Instagram, and said there are “so many things I wish I could share with you”.
The 30-year-old wrote: “One year. You fought so hard for so long, but you were still taken away. It’s just so unfair.
“I’m not ok. I don’t think I’ll ever be ok. There’s so much I wish I could show you. So many things I wish I could share with you. I wish I could laugh with you again. I wish I could hug you again. I miss you so much it hurts.
“I’m trying to do my best here without you, but it’s really fucking hard. I hope you’re still proud.
“I love you with all of my heart, Pop. Watch over me.”
Wolfgang has followed in his father’s footsteps as a rock musician and joined Van Halen as bassist in 2006, playing with them until the group disbanded last year after Van Halen’s death.
Since his father’s death, he began focusing on his solo project Mammoth WVH, for which he performs all the vocals and instruments, and released his self-titled debut album in June 2021.
The album reached number one on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart and 12 on the overall Billboard 200 chart.
Wolfgang has also recently joined Guns N’Roses on tour as their opening act.
Van Halen’s widow Janie was also among those marking the first anniversary of the rocker’s death, writing on Instagram: “I think about you every single day. Your smile, your laugh, your kindness – in every single way.
“I miss this, I miss us, I miss you, and I try my best to carry on the way you would want me to. But my Peep, some days, that’s really hard to do.
“This will never get easier because there really is no getting over you. The only solace that I can seem to find is knowing you are with god and truly free. Until our souls find each other again, please keep an eye on me. I love you and miss you so much.”
Former Van Halen lead singer Sammy Hagar posted a picture of Van Halen jumping on stage, and wrote: “I can’t believe it’s been a year. The man is gone but the music lives on #forever.”
Van Halen was widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists in rock music, and had huge hits with songs like “Jump”, “Hot For Teacher” and “Why Can’t This Be Love”.
He was first diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2000, and had been diagnosed with throat and lung cancer in the two years prior to his death.