The cause of Eddie Van Halen’s death has been confirmed.
The guitarist passed away, aged 65, on October 6 at the Providence St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California following a long battle with cancer. Van Halen’s death certificate, issued by the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, and obtained by the US website TMZ, cites his immediate cause of death as a cerebrovascular accident, or a stroke. He also had several underlying causes, including pneumonia, the bone marrow disorder myelodysplastic syndrome, lung cancer and skin cancer.
Van Halen’s ashes have been given to his son Wolfgang, who broke the news of his passing on social media. Wolfgang has since paid a touching tribute to his father with the release of Distance, the emotional first single from his new band Mammoth WVH.
“I never intended Distance to be the very first piece of music people would hear from me, but I also thought my father would be here to celebrate its release,” said Wolfgang, who sings and performs all instrumentation on the song.
“As my pop continued to struggle with various health issues, I was imagining what my life would be like without him and how terribly I’d miss him. While the song is incredibly personal, I think anyone can relate to the idea of having a profound loss in their life. This is for him. I love and miss you, Pop.”
Eddie Van Halen’s huge influence on the rock and metal world was celebrated recently in a Metal Hammer cover story: Eddie Van Halen - The Life And Times Of A Guitar God.
