image of Eddie Van Halen
Birthday: Jan 26, 1955
Place of Birth: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Eddie Van Halen

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.

Filmography
Movie Cast Year
Van Halen: Video Hits Vol. 1 Lead Guitars, Vocals 1996
The Dirt Self (archive footage) (uncredited) 2019
The History of Rock 'n' Roll Self 1995
Cry Baby: The Pedal that Rocks the World 2011
Van Halen Live at Monsters of Rock, Donington Park 1984 Self 2023
Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon Self (voice) 2022
Van Halen: The Van Halen Story Himself 2003
Van Halen: Live in Pensacola, Florida Lead Guitar, Vocals 1995
Van Halen Live at US Festival Himself 1983
Van Halen: Live Without A Net Self (Lead Guitar / Vocals) 1987
Van Halen The Downtown Sessions 2012
Play It Loud: The Story of Marshall Self 2014
Van Halen - In Concert Himself - Lead Guitar, Vocals 2011
Van Halen - Live In Largo 1970
Van Halen - Live: Right Here, Right Now Lead Guitar, Vocals 1993
Van Halen - Live 1986 New Haven Lead Guitar, Vocals 1970
Van Halen : Live In Japan Tokyo Dome 1989 Self (Lead Guitar / Vocals) 1989
Van Halen : Live from Australia Self (Vocals / Guitar) 1998
Thriller 40 Self (archive footage) 2023
Series Cast Year
Two and a Half Men Himself 2003
Frasier Hank (voice) 1993
Saturday Night Live Self - Cameo (uncredited) 1975
MTV Video Music Awards Self 1984
Cafe Americain Street Musician 1993
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