A music legend gone
News | Rocker Eddie Van Halen dies of cancer
by The Editors
Posted 10/08/20, 03:06 pm
Died
Eddie Van Halen, the guitar virtuoso whose dizzying solos made rock ’n’ roll fun again, died of cancer on Oct. 7. He was 65. His band, Van Halen, formed in 1974 with his brother, drummer Alex Van Halen; singer David Lee Roth; and bassist Michael Anthony. They released their first album in 1978 and dominated the rock scene for more than a decade, first with lead singer Roth and then Sammy Hagar. Van Halen’s best-known work includes the songs “Jump,” “Right Now,” and “Panama.” He also played the famous guitar solo on Michael Jackson’s 1982 single “Beat It.”