Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen | |
|---|---|
Van Halen performing at the New Haven Coliseum in 1978 | |
| Born | Edward Lodewijk van Halen January 26, 1955 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Died | October 6, 2020 (aged 65) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Nationality |
|
| Education | Pasadena City College |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1964–2020 |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | Wolfgang Van Halen |
| Relatives | Alex Van Halen (brother) |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
|
| Formerly of | Van Halen |
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen (/væn ˈheɪlən/ van HAY-lən, Dutch: [ˈɛtʋɑrt ˈloːdəʋɛik fɑn ˈɦaːlə(n)]; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he founded with his brother Alex in 1972.
Van Halen is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists in rock history, and was well-known for popularizing the tapping guitar technique, allowing rapid arpeggios to be played with two hands on the fretboard. Eddie Van Halen was voted number one in a Guitar World Magazine poll for "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" poll. Rolling Stone ranked Van Halen 4th in its list of the "250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in 2023.
Van Halen dealt with numerous health issues beginning in the 1990s. He died on October 6, 2020, of complications from throat cancer.