Rock Music Menu: Tributes continue to pour in for Eddie Van Halen – The Delaware County Daily Times

It’s been just over a week since the passing of Eddie Van Halen, and the tributes keep coming from far and wide for the groundbreaking guitarist who lost his battle with cancer at the age of 65 on October 6. Bandmates he had over the years and fellow musicians have been expressing their grief across social media, many in a state of shock at the news.

Former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar tweeted a picture of he and Eddie from the band’s troubled tour in 2004 with the caption, “Heartbroken and speechless. My love to the family.” Though they had battled in the press over the past several years, the Red Rocker says he and the guitarist had made up in recent months but kept it quiet so as not to stir up any reunion speculation.

Hagar celebrated his 73rd birthday last weekend by filming a concert on Catalina Island, with fellow ex-Van Halen bandmate and bassist Michael Anthony performing alongside him. The pair dedicated the classic “Right Now” to their fallen friend. Earlier in the week, the two put out a video where they expressed their sadness at the turn of events.

Van Halen’s original and most current lead vocalist, David Lee Roth, took to his social media to post pictures of he and Eddie from their recent tours with the caption “What a long great trip it’s been.” The singer is said to be absolutely devastated at the loss of someone he’s known since they were teenagers and will be forever intertwined with in the memories of fans.

Eddie’s son and VH bass player Wolfgang, who first broke the news of his father’s passing, has been putting up his own images of his dad on social media, each more poignant than the previous. Brother and Van Halen drummer Alex released a simple statement, “Hey Ed. Love you. See you on the other side. Your brother, Al.” It came with an adorable picture of the two as young children.

Gary Cherone, singer for Extreme and the often unfairly maligned third singer for Van Halen, gave a lengthy interview to Rolling Stone about his brief time in the band and single LP they put out in the late-90s. “Whether you were blessed to have known him or not, He was a kind and gentle soul…,” he wrote on Twitter. “His impact on ALL our lives was immeasurable! His music, eternal! My deepest sympathies to the Van Halen family…Love you Ed.”

“I’m just devastated to hear the news of the passing of my dear friend Eddie Van Halen,” said guitarist Tony Iommi, whose Black Sabbath were one of the acts VH opened for on their first concert tour in 1978. “He fought a long and hard battle with his cancer right to the very end. Eddie was one of a very special kind of person, a really great friend. Rest in Peace my dear friend till we meet again.”

“Just when I thought 2020 couldn’t get any worse, I hear Eddie Van Halen has passed,” echoed Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler. “So shocking – one of the nicest, down to Earth men I have ever met and toured with. A true gent and true genius. RIP. So sad. Thoughts go out to his brother Alex, and his family.”

“It is with great sadness that I heard the passing of Eddie Van Halen,” said Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. “He was the real deal: he pioneered a dazzling technique on guitar with taste and panache that I felt always placed him above his imitators.”

“Eddie was a guitar wonder, his playing pure wizardry,” said AC/DC guitarist Angus Young in a statement. “To the world of music, he was a special gift. To those of us fortunate enough to have met him, a very special person. He leaves a big hole in a lot of hearts. To the Van Halen family my heartfelt sympathies.”

“I’m just a little shocked,” Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash told Chicago’s WGN News moments after he heard the news. “It’s hard for me to verbally say anything, other than I’m just devastated. Eddie was really cool. And I’ve been talking to him – we’ve been texting. And I knew he was sick, but I didn’t wanna ask him how sick he was. But he was in a hospital in L.A. for a while. And I knew [expletive] was up, but I didn’t expect that today at all…so I’m floored.”

“Completely gutted to hear the sad news,” added Brian May, guitarist for Queen who collaborated with Eddie on 1983’s Star Fleet Project. “This wonderful man was way too young to be taken. What a talent – what a legacy – probably the most original and dazzling rock guitarist in history…  I treasure the moments we shared. His passing leaves a giant hole in my heart.”

“RIP to the GREAT @eddievanhalen, even though it took a couple calls to convince [you] it was actually me on the phone :),” tweeted Quincy Jones, the legendary producer who asked Eddie to contribute a solo to a song on Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ album in 1982. “[You] killed it on ‘Thriller,’ & your classic [guitar] solo on ‘Beat It’ will never be matched. I’ll always smile when I think of our time working together. Eternal [love] & props.”

As with any passing of a high-profile individual, not everyone is going to be so complimentary. David Crosby was asked on Twitter last Friday what he thought of Eddie Van Halen and replied with a simple, “Meh…” which sent many into a tizzy, considering the dismissiveness to be in poor taste given the circumstances. The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young singer doubled down by saying that in his eyes, nobody but Jimi Hendrix changed the world of guitar.

A couple of days later, Crosby finally acquiesced, tweeting, “Yes you Van Halen fans I did just toss off an answer that was not cool…the even more embarrassing truth is…I didn’t even remember he had just died or I would have kept my mouth shut…I do make mistakes…no offense intended.”

Vinyl of the Week will return next week.

To contact music columnist Michael Christopher, send an email to rockmusicmenu@gmail.com. Also, check out his blog at www.thechroniclesofmc.com