By Kathy Williams, Features Assignment Editor
Legendary songwriter and guitarist Eddie Van Halen died on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at age 65. The rock star struggled with several health complications such as injuries from stage performances and diverticulitis, but his death is attributed to his battle with throat cancer.
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, known as Eddie Van Halen, was a cofounder for the band Van Halen, taken after his surname. Formed in 1972 in California, Van Halen became a staple for fans of rock and roll. Their self-titled album “Van Halen” released in 1978 and was followed by their classic albums “Van Halen II” in 1979, “Women and Children First” in 1980 and “1984” in 1984. “1984” was an extremely successful album in the U.S. with 10 million copies sold, achieved four hit singles and went five-times platinum a year post-release. The band Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen originally formed the band under the name “The Broken Combs” in 1964 featuring just the two as members. The band would go under many name changes from “The Trojan Rubber Co.” to “Genesis” to “Mammoth.” To evoke a sense of power, the band changed their name to Van Halen in 1974 and featured key members Eddie and Alex Van Halen, vocalist David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony to create the band popularized today.
Eddie Van Halen was voted for the number one position in the magazine “Guitar World” in 2012 in a poll titled “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” and his guitar solo in the song “Eruption” received the second spot for “Guitar World’s” poll “100 Greatest Guitar Solos.” Eddie Van Halen obtained acclamation for his skilled use of the tapping technique. Finger tapping, using the left and right hands on the guitar neck, was popularized by Eddie Van Halen. Although he did not invent the technique, he revolutionized it by treating the guitar like a piano to create unique riffs for his hard rock sounds.
Eddie Van Halen was also known for his guitar modifications. He would customize guitars to meet his musical needs. One of his most popular customized guitars was the “Frankenstrat” or “Frankenstein” which was named after he combined a body and neck from two different guitars. His modifications inspired a trend of altering guitars in the 1980s.
Eddie Van Halen was born on Jan. 26, 1955 in Amsterdam, Netherlands and moved with his family to Pasadena, California in 1962. Eddie and his brother, Alex, began learning to play piano around the age of six. Eddie himself never learned how to read music. Instead he watched, listened and imitated how others would play pieces when he played piano growing up. After the piano, Eddie Van Halen began playing the drums. However, that did not last, and he switched to playing electric guitar.
Actress Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen married in 1980 and one year later had one son, Wolfgang William Van Halen. In 2005 the couple filed for divorce, and in 2009 Eddie Van Halen married actress and stuntwoman Janie Liszewski.
The influence of Eddie Van Halen is one that will not be forgotten. He was a manipulator of the guitar, skilled virtuoso and revolutionizer of hard rock.
williakp18@bonaventure.edu
