RIP Eddie Van Halen

[jhull54]

Say it ain't so...

[rrobbone]

I'm crushed.

Never met the man, but he had such an influence on me. Fuck cancer.

[Tsukiyomi]

No! Holy hell

https://www.tmz.com/2020/10/06/eddie-va ... cancer-65/

[mickey]

Say it ain't so...

Appears that it is so.
Cancer is nobody's friend.

[Perfect Stranger]

My dog died yesterday.....nobody said a word.....

[Rollin Hand]

No.

Just no.

No.

And, ban me if you must, but FUCK 2020 WITH A CHAINSAW!!!!!!!

[pratteman]

Cancer sucks. RIP Eddie. One of the best ever.

Sorry about your dog, Jim.

[Raindog]

I am saddened but not especially surprised. I've been expecting EVH's death ever since I read Sammy Hagar's book Red and no one in the VH camp disputed what he wrote. Eddie did not take care of himself. I am just a little too young to have been a Hendrix fan when he was alive but EVH filled that role. It's a tragedy. R.I.P.

[Tglo]

He had such a impact on guitar playing. As much as Les Paul Jimmy Page and many others. When I first heard him play I knew everything was about to change. My condolences to the family.

[Perfect Stranger]

I never bought a single album of theirs, never even listened to one of their albums all the way thru....that I know of.
Never cared much for his playing....in the music I did hear......it always sounded the same. But that's just an opinion.
But I gotta admit....I AM jealous that he got Valerie Bertonelli and I never did....

[nomadh]

I just heard and had to jump in here and see if everyone got the word. He was never my influence. Probably mainly because I could never phantom playing anything like him but he was a phenom. The only reason he wouldn't be the top most influential (and maybe he even was anyway) is because he s ability seemed just so unreachable. It seems so crazy how many of the crazy 60's guys can still not only be alive but still performing but it was first the 90'd guys that died then now the 80's guys. Ithink its the quality of the drugs that get worse as we go.

RIP EVH. Sorry to see you go.

[mark_morton]

Sad day...
RIP

[Rollin Hand]

Just went to the store. Ozzy's Boneyard was pounding out the VH, both main eras.

[Tonray's Ghost]

Don't smoke is the lesson

[toomanycats]

I had thought about this day many times. Not because I expected it, or had him on my "The Dead Pool" list. No, it was more for selfish and personal reasons. In the back of a person's mind who has a perverse sensibility there are terrible scenario's entertained, all the "what ifs?" . . . the worse case scenario type stuff. An awareness of Eddie Van Halen's mortality was buried back there in that painful amorphous place.

It isn't just Eddie the person that is gone for me. I mean, its not like I knew him personally and will miss talking with him, hearing his voice, all the things that are gone when somebody dies. He is so big in my consciousness. The guy occupies a lot of space in my head. Eddie was a massive cultural figure, with an impact sonically, visually, artistically, and inspirationally. I'd wager to bet that as many people took up the guitar because of Eddie as ever did because of Elvis, or the Beatles, or Hendrix, or anyone else you can name.

I know about death and all that. I've experienced it. Funny, but just this morning I was watching Lawrence Olivier's 1948 film Hamlet, especially moved by the scene when he stares at the Jester's skull, and grieves over Ophelia's body. The world feels different now that Eddie is dead. But still it goes on.

[belleswell]

So sad. His spirit and presence will remain with us. Condolences to family and friends.
The first time I heard Eruption, I threw my guitar in the corner and said, "I quit". lol It was epic
and I knew the rock world had changed in a good way.
RIP Ed

[Chocol8]

I'd wager to bet that as many people took up the guitar because of Eddie as ever did because of Elvis, or the Beatles, or Hendrix, or anyone else you can name.

Almost the opposite for me. I actually didn’t take up guitar specifically because of Eddie. I loved the band, their music and of course his playing and sound, but it was so far beyond my capabilities, I stuck with other instruments. I didn’t pick up a guitar until a couple years after VH broke up* and I had moved on to other music.







* Van Hagar was NOT Van Halen, and nothing anyone says will ever make me accept that VH as a band ever continued beyond 1984!

[BatUtilityBelt]

Eddie was too good to be one of my influences, but I loved a lot of their music. Like a lot of talents, he made me want to play more and take chances.

[Lamf77]

They ruled the world back in the late 70's and early 80's. They broke with the Eruption/Really Got Me combo with Eddie obviously starting it off; and stealing the show. A huge part of many's High School and College days aka best years of our lives. I wish the clock was slow......RIP EVH.

[LightWingStudios]

Bummer.

[adad]

RIP Eddie
Just heard Johnny Nash died today as well.

[Houblues]

...
It isn't just Eddie the person that is gone for me. I mean, its not like I knew him personally and will miss talking with him, hearing his voice, all the things that are gone when somebody dies. He is so big in my consciousness. The guy occupies a lot of space in my head. Eddie was a massive cultural figure, with an impact sonically, visually, artistically, and inspirationally. ....

.... The world feels different now that Eddie is dead. But still it goes on.

I can't speak for anyone else, but my subconscious expectation for the "icons of my time" is they will live a lifespan somewhat similar to my own, with some adjustment for age if they are older. He is the same age I am, so I'm going "Huh what?" Something like Princess Diana dying, in a car wreck, of all things. Certain things you take as cornerstones of your world and it knocks you for a loop when your world (and theirs) is altered, possibly because you hadn't realized they were either so foundational, or so vulnerable.

[uwmcscott]

Sad news to see for certain, hope he is in a better place ripping it up without the eartly burdens of his broken body. We can all still listen and appreciate his work as well.

[TVvoodoo]

Comes to rock stars, he was a ROCK STAR

[fullonshred]

RIP Eddie and peace and comfort to all who love him.

I was sitting in a dorm in college sometime on a weekday (iirc) evening listening to the college rock radio station when this THING Erupted from the airwaves and through the speakers of the stereo almost instantly grabbing the full attention of everyone in the room. My jaw dropped and stayed dropped pretty much all the way through the end of Really Got Me. Like others here have already stated I knew Rock Guitar had just changed. I was on the phone as fast as possible calling and asking that they play the THING again immediately. I was not alone. It took some while to finally get through to the station. They played it several more times that evening. I was at the main campus record store the next day trying to snag a copy. I think I got one that day but honestly don't recall. I looked up when Eruption was released, if the internet is right it was a Friday, February 10 1978.

Again, Rest In Peace, EVH.