by Ranjini Achuthan
Considered one of the greatest of all time, Eddie Van Halen who is known to have brought sonic joy and inspiration to millions both through his musical genius as well as his spirited personality, passed away after a long battle with cancer. The legend was 65.
Pic: Facebook
A Hall of Fame inductee, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen knew and played guitar like no other artist could think of. He was an innovator who introduced the technique of two handed finger tapping on the neck of the guitar and possessed patents for three guitar devices. His pyrotechnics on the instrument along with technical exploration and songwriting prowess earned him worldwide recognition and fame. It’s not very often that a band is named after the guitarist. Such was his influence.
Van Halen, who is named the number one guitarist of all time by the magazine Guitar World, has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide. Some of his most iconic works include Eruption, Jump, Panama, Michael Jackson’s Beat It, You’re No Good, Why Can’t This Be Love and many others.
Pic: Facebook
Van Halen’s son Wolfgang who became the band’s bassist when it reunited in 2007, took to twitter to share the news with the world. He is also survived by his second wife Janie Liszewski, first wife Valerie Bertinelli and his brother and bandmate Alex.