Legendary Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen died on Oct. 6, 2020, years after receiving
multiple cancer diagnoses. The guitarist was 65, and the news devastated many fans. In
response, some longtime supporters flocked to rewatch the video of his last concert while
others revisited his last words on social media.
He's deeply missed by both his fans and his family. His son, Wolfgang "Wolf" Van Halen,
posted a touching tribute to his father, and countless rock stars from a range of generations
and genres of music sent their condolences. Valerie Bertinelli, the guitarist's former
wife and Wolfgang's mother, shared her loss on Twitter on the day Eddie died, writing,
"You gave me the one true light in my life, our son, Wolfgang. Through all your challenging
treatments for lung cancer, you kept your gorgeous spirit and that impish grin. I'm
so grateful Wolfie and I were able to hold you in your last moments. I will see you in
our next life my love."
According to Moffitt Cancer Center, Van Halen battled tongue and throat cancer in the early
2000s, and his family later disclosed he was getting lung cancer treatments. Though many
believed it was cancer that finally ended his life, Van Halen death certificate reveals
the official cause of death was something else.
TMZ obtained Van Halen's death certificate on Dec. 13, 2020, and revealed that his official
cause of death was a stroke. The outlet noted that Van Halen had other underlying health
conditions, presumably relating to his cancer, that contributed.
The death certificate issued by the Los Angeles Department of Public Health also gave other
details about Van Halen's passing. According to TMZ, the guitarist was cremated 22 days
after he died and his ashes were given to his son Wolf. The rocker's wish was to have
his ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean off of the coast of Malibu, California.
TMZ was the first outlet to break the news, and Wolfgang wasn't pleased that the outlet
was publishing the details of his father's death and final wishes. He had some choice
words for the outlet on Twitter, writing simply,
"TMZ is scum."
Bertinelli responded to her son's tweet, writing,
"And the person who fed them the info is lower than scum."
Wolfgang wasn't done, though. In response to a since-deleted tweet from someone else,
he wrote:
"Oh get f---ked AND blocked. I've got every right in the world to call people scum who
release private information about my family. F--k them and f--k you."
Wolfgang then added another tweet calling out anyone who messes with his family, writing,
"If you f--k with my family, especially my father who is unable to defend himself, you
f--k with me. It's my job to do so now and I'll never stop. So if you've got a problem
with that, you can either learn how to get over it or unfollow me."
Although Wolf's desire for privacy is completely understandable, LoudWire noted that death
certificates are public records.
Wolfgang, who joined Van Halen as a bass player in 2006, released his band Mammoth WVH's debut
single "Distance" in November 2020 to commemorate his father's passing. He released a music
video that's a touching tribute made up of home videos from his childhood with his father.
Wolfgang noted that all proceeds from the song would go to his father's favorite charity,
the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. The foundation provides musical instruments to programs and
schools in need, stating via its website that it aims to drive, quote, "creativity and expression
through playing music."
"Bottom line is, could you really imagine a world without music?"
The song was a huge hit, and comments thanked Wolfgang for sharing his grief. One person
wrote in the comments on YouTube,
"Right on, Wolf. You drop a rock into the pond and it ripples out forever, until it
comes back. Your dad inspired me and a million others. You're doing the same. Lots of love
brother."
Someone else wrote,
"Makes me wish Eddie Van Halen was my dad while growing up."
Wolfgang is getting the chance to express his grief in a creative way, and it's clear
fans appreciate the heartfelt tune.
"The pain is still there, always, but you just kind of figure out how to carry it a
bit better as time goes on. But it's always gonna hurt."