Known For
Acting
Born
Jan 26, 1955
Died
Oct 06, 2020
Place of Birth
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Credits
38 titles
Eddie Van Halen
Biography
Eddie Van Halen (26 January 1955 – 6 October 2020) was a Dutch-American musician, songwriter, producer, and inventor. Moving with his family (headed by musician Jan Van Halen) to Pasadena, California as a boy, Eddie and brother Alex were both trained on classical piano. Eddie got a paper route to pay for a drum set, but Alex spent far more time playing it while Eddie was at work, so Eddie "stole" Alex's guitar to get back at him, and they continued to play those instruments for the rest of their careers. The Van Halen brothers started a band called Mammoth, eventually recruiting frontman David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony, and renamed the band Van Halen at Roth's insistence. Van Halen's debut album is one of the most influential and best-selling rock debut albums in history, and Eddie's innovative guitar playing had a massive influence on rock musicians worldwide, with Eddie being hailed as a guitar god and routinely being featured on and in guitar magazines. After a decade with Roth as frontman, he was fired and was successfully replaced by Sammy Hagar, bringing another decade of success for the band before Hagar's departure. A third lineup featuring Gary Cherone was not successful, and Van Halen reunited with both Hagar and Roth for brief periods, replacing Anthony with Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass. Eddie developed tongue cancer in the 2000s, had surgery and was in remission for a number of years, but it eventually returned, and he passed away in 2020, with an outpouring of support and appreciation from musicians the world over.
Known For
Filmography
Thriller 40
Self (archive footage)
Van Halen Live at Monsters of Rock, Donington Park 1984
Self
Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon
Self (voice)
The Dirt
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Play It Loud: The Story of Marshall
Self
Van Halen: A Definitive Kind Of Tokyo
Self
Van Halen The Downtown Sessions
Van Halen - In Concert
Himself - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Cry Baby: The Pedal that Rocks the World
Van Halen - Live From The Molson 1995
Himself
Van Halen – In Tokyo
Sacred Sin
Producer
Van Halen - Live Rarities
Himself
Two and a Half Men
Eddie Van Halen
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Musical Guest
Van Halen: The Van Halen Story
Himself
Van Halen : Live from Australia
Self (Vocals / Guitar)
Van Halen: Video Hits Vol. 1
Lead Guitars, Vocals
Van Halen: Live in Pensacola, Florida
Lead Guitar, Vocals
Cafe Americain
Street Musician
Frasier
Hank (voice)
Late Show with David Letterman
Self - Musical Guest
Van Halen - Live: Right Here, Right Now
Lead Guitar, Vocals
Van Halen: Dallas Free Show
Van Halen - The Early Days 1978-1980
Guitar
MTV Rockumentary
Van Halen : Live In Japan Tokyo Dome 1989
Self (Lead Guitar / Vocals)
Van Halen - Live Without a Net
Self (Lead Guitar / Vocals)
Van Halen - Live 1986 New Haven
Lead Guitar, Vocals
The Wild Life
Music
MTV Video Music Awards
Self
The Seduction of Gina
Music
Van Halen Live at US Festival
Himself
Van Halen: Live in Largo Oct 12, 1982
Self
Van Halen: Largo Oct 11, 1982
Self
Van Halen: Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena 1981
Self
Saturday Night Live
Self (uncredited)
Van Halen - Live In Largo