Eddie Van Halen the co-founder of rock legends Van Halen has died aged 65 after a long battle with throat cancer.
The rock star died at St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica, US Tuesday, TMZ reported.
According to sources his wife, Janie was by his side, as well as his son Wolfgang and Alex, his brother and drummer.
It is believed that Eddie’s health went into huge decline in the last 72 hours.
Doctors are said to have made the shocking discovery that his throat cancer had moved to his brain.
Eddie has battled cancer for the last decade and has been in an out of hospital for the past year.
David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen perform on stage at Sleep Train Amphitheatre on September 30, 2015 in Chula Vista, California (Image: Getty Images)
His devastated son Wolfgang revealed his dad’s death on Twitter today.
He said: “I can’t believe I’m having to write this, but my father Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning.
“He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift.
“My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever full recover from this loss.
Eddie Van Halen arrives for the George Lopez Foundation 10th Anniversary Celebration Party at Baltaire on April 30, 2017 in Los Angeles (Image: FilmMagic)
“I love you so much, Pop.”
Last November Eddie was admitted into hospital for intestinal issues and the outlet reported he had been having chemotherapy.
Eddie smoked heavily for several years but it’s thought he developed throat cancer from a metal guitar pick he used to hold in his mouth more than 20 years ago.
The rock legend was flying between the U.S. and Germany for the past 5 years to get radiation treatment.
Eddie Van Halen during Van Halen III Live in Chicago at Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont US (Image: WireImage)
Despite his illness Eddie continued to attend concerts and rehearse music with his son, Wolfgang.
In 2000, shortly after his diagnosis, doctors removed close to a third of Eddie’s tongue.
It is said that doctors also “scraped out” cancerous cells that migrated down to his throat.
It was reported last year that Eddie had been flying between Germany and the United States for radiation treatment and “for the most part it’s worked to keep the disease in check”.
Eddie Van Halen suffered from throat cancer (Image: Getty Images)
Previously, in 2005, the musician told Billboard: “I used metal picks – they’re brass and copper – which I always held in my mouth, in the exact place where I got the tongue cancer.
“Plus, I basically live in a recording studio that’s filled with electromagnetic energy. So that’s one theory.
“I mean, I was smoking and doing a lot of drugs and a lot of everything. But at the same time, my lungs are totally clear. This is just my own theory, but the doctors say it’s possible.”
Van Halen – made up of Eddie, his brother Alex Van Halen, Eddie’s son Wolfgang Van Halen and singer David Lee Roth – last performed at the October 2015 Hollywood Bowl.
The band was formed in 1972 and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
They’re known for iconic songs such as Jump, which was introduced to a new generation when Girls Aloud covered it, and the 1984 hit Hot For Teacher.
In 2012, Eddie was voted number one in a Guitar World magazine reader’s poll for The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
