Eddie Van Halen tributes from other musicians come pouring in
Eddie Van Halen‘s influence loomed large and when the sad news of his death spread earlier this afternoon, tributes poured in from all corners of music. You can read tributes from former VH singers David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony, as well as Slash, KISS‘ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, The Who’s Pete Townshend, Aerosmith, AC/DC’s Angus Young, Metallica, Pantera, Motley Crue‘s Vince Neil and Nikki Sixx, Skid Row‘s Sebastian Bach, Black Sabbath‘s Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi & Geezer Butler, Anthrax‘s Scott Ian, Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, Tool’s Adam Jones, Testament’s Alex Skolnick, Machine Head’s Robb Flynn, Deep Purple/Whitesnake’s David Coverdale, Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider, Megadeth’s David Ellefson, Billy Idol, Brian Wilson, Questlove, Billy Corgan, Flea, Tom Morello, Jason Isbell, AC Newman, Patton Oswalt, Dave Hause, Edgar Wright, and more.
Ozzy penned a tribute for Rolling Stone, which reads in part:
It’s always a sad day when somebody like that dies. It’s like when Michael Jackson died. I didn’t believe it at first. It’s such a fucking loss.
[…] That thing with finger-tapping in the Eighties, with the hair bands, everybody was doing that finger tapping. Once you’ve seen the master do it, everyone else comes second. Anybody after Eddie Van Halen was in second, as far as I’m concerned. There were some other good players, and there are some very clever ones, but it’s not just playing an instrument. You’ve got to put the emotion behind you, and Eddie had all that. He made it look so easy.
[…] But I could sit and watch Eddie Van Halen play guitar all day. He’s so entertaining as a guitar player. He made it look like it was not difficult. He made it look like it was a natural thing. Everybody else was trying to be Eddie Van Halen, but there is only one Eddie Van Halen. I thought he was brilliant. God only knows, what you have to do to get that good.
Pete Townshend also spoke to Rolling Stone about Eddie:
I was once asked by Michael Jackson to play electric guitar on the Thriller album. I said I couldn’t do it but recommended Eddie who called and we chatted. He was utterly charming, happy about the connection, but told me how much he was enjoying playing keyboards. His smile was just classic. A man in his rightful place, so happy to be doing what he did.
It’s completely tragic that we have lost him. He was not just an innovative and stylish player with great taste, he was also a laidback virtuoso showman who just blew us all away every time. Every shredder today has lost their Master Teacher and Guide.
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett said to the New York Times:
To me, he was like Tesla or Louis Pasteur or Ray Kurzweil. He might not have been working with circuits or engines or whatnot. He was working with musical notes and guitar strings and bridges and amplifiers.
[…] The things that he came up with became the modern guitar lexicon. And he was just totally committed to his cause. You don’t sound like that by saying, “OK, I’m going to play guitar for an hour a day.” You get to that point embracing the guitar and music as a complete lifestyle.
Read more of what Kirk had to say here.
Read a tribute from Bill & Ted star Alex Winter here.
Read more tributes below.
What a Long Great Trip It’s Been.. pic.twitter.com/M5pmkVi7hW
— David Lee Roth (@DavidLeeRoth) October 7, 2020
Heartbroken and speechless. My love to the family. pic.twitter.com/MQMueMF2XO
— Sammy Hagar (@sammyhagar) October 6, 2020
RIP #EddieVanHalen https://t.co/qSPBcmUMoh
— Slash (@Slash) October 6, 2020
My heart is broken. Eddie was not only a Guitar God, but a genuinely beautiful soul. Rest in peace, Eddie! …Eddie Van Halen Dead at 65 from Cancer https://t.co/gITtcndQVv
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) October 6, 2020
Oh NO! Speechless. A trailblazer and someone who always gave everything to his music. A good soul. I remember first seeing him playing at the Starwood in 1976 and he WAS Eddie Van Halen. So shocked and sad. My condolences to Wolfie and the family. https://t.co/ExAWzFAEYJ
— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) October 6, 2020
Rest In Peace @eddievanhalen You will be missed! #Legend pic.twitter.com/A2dpG41dbS
— Aerosmith (@Aerosmith) October 6, 2020
— AC/DC (@acdc) October 7, 2020
We are enormously saddened to hear about the untimely passing of Eddie Van Halen. We considered him an inspiration, an idol, and after spending a summer together on the road in '88, a friend. Sending love to Alex, @wolfvanhalen & everyone in the greater VH family.
📸 @RossHalfin pic.twitter.com/wZ9ZKNmK0q
— Metallica (@Metallica) October 6, 2020
Eddie Van Halen and Neil Peart were just too good for 2020.
We all are
My heart is broken— Sebastian Bach™️ (@sebastianbach) October 6, 2020
I just found out that my guitar hero Eddie had passed away. I have fond memories of the tours we did together! He’s up there shredding!!!! RIP my friend. pic.twitter.com/CCLZf1IVsw
— Vince Neil (@thevinceneil) October 6, 2020
Crushed. So fucking crushed. RIP Eddie Van Halen. You changed our world. You were the Mozart of rock guitar. Travel safe rockstar.
— 📷 (@NikkiSixx) October 6, 2020
Just when I thought 2020 couldn't get any worse, I hear Eddie Van Halen has passed. So shocking- One of the nicest, down to Earth men I have ever met and toured with. A true gent and true genius. RIP. So sad.Thoughts go out to his brother Alex, and his family. pic.twitter.com/fwIw040YMX
— Geezer Butler (@geezerbutler) October 6, 2020
I’m just devastated to hear the news of the passing of my dear friend Eddie Van Halen. He fought a long and hard battle with his cancer right to the very end. Eddie was one of a very special kind of person, a really great friend. Rest In Peace my dear friend till we meet again. pic.twitter.com/Qs8tsLPANJ
— Tony Iommi (@tonyiommi) October 6, 2020
Oh man, bless his beautiful creative heart. I love you Eddie Van Halen, an LA boy, a true rocker. I hope you jam with Jimi tonight. Break through to the other side my brother. ❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/XpcTlPJq9A
— Flea (@flea333) October 6, 2020
Rest in peace guitar legend Eddie Van Halen. 💔 We will miss you. #fuckcancer @eddievanhalen #eddievanhalen pic.twitter.com/S4vnN3tyWc
— Billy Idol (@BillyIdol) October 6, 2020
RIP @eddievanhalen pic.twitter.com/sLj2m1Ew7p
— William Patrick Corgan (@Billy) October 6, 2020
Legendary guitar and musical innovator Edward Van Halen. 1955-2020. Heaven will be electric tonight. pic.twitter.com/hdLd7atI74
— Lenny Kravitz (@LennyKravitz) October 6, 2020
Oh man, I just heard about Eddie. Fucking hell. I hope Wolfgang and Alex and the rest of his family are doing OK. The greatest of all time has left the building. RIP EVH.
— Scott Ian (@Scott_Ian) October 6, 2020
RIP Eddie Van Halen. Van Halen were a tremendous influence on both Vinnie & Dime & Pantera. Hopefully they are all rocking out together now! pic.twitter.com/XtnL33aGsd
— Pantera (@Pantera) October 6, 2020
Guitar Hero is an understatement. Van Halen forever man.
— ?st (@questlove) October 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/BrianWilsonLive/status/1313574279154405376
https://t.co/QjAj45KED8 Apex talent. An unparalleled titan in the annals of rock n roll. One of the greatest musicians in the history of mankind. Rest In Peace, King Edward
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) October 6, 2020
Just found out @eddievanhalen has died. I remember driving home from a @TwistedSisterNY club gig with @AnimalTactics late one night and hearing "Eruption" on the radio for the first time. Our minds were blown…and guitar playing was never the same. RIP Eddie. You left your mark.
— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) October 6, 2020
Yesterday @amandashires and I were singing our heavy song and cameras were rolling and I could tell she was feeling some emotions, so I very poorly played a little bit of Eruption to make her smile and it worked. No musician ever brought me more joy than #EddieVanHalen. Grateful.
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) October 6, 2020
Eddie Van Halen 🎸 Rest in Rock.
— Garbage (@garbage) October 6, 2020
Sad to hear Eddie Van Halen has passed away. A guitar innovator with a fierce spirit of musical and technical exploration. Prayers and thoughts with his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/TI4ipeIXbR
— Yusuf / Cat Stevens (@YusufCatStevens) October 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/ellefsondavid/status/1313565090524917760
RIP Eddie Van Halen pic.twitter.com/siTQHN4bRU
— Death Angel (@deathangel) October 6, 2020
1955-2020 pic.twitter.com/mYinqyS4Ao
— HEALTH (@_HEALTH_) October 6, 2020
My brother just texted me a generational truth for 70’s/80’s kids:
“That unbelievable mindfuck of listening to ‘Eruption’ while staring at the album cover.”
RIP Eddie Van Halen🖤— matt sweeney (@theheavyjamz) October 6, 2020
Damn, RIP. I had the first Van Halen album on cassette as a kid and immediately wanted to play guitar after first hearing it. The 5150 II is one of my favorite amp heads ever and is on all of our releases pic.twitter.com/CLpXThxaDQ
— TWIABP&IANLATD (@twiabp) October 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/normanbrannon/status/1313567187353862145
Feeling deep sadness and overwhelming appreciation.
The appreciation and love for him is bigger though.
Let’s take a minute and try to imagine our world if he never showed up.
It’s unthinkable.
Thank you King Edward. You are deeply loved and will be missed. pic.twitter.com/H1mS4sYZIo— Steve Vai (@stevevai) October 6, 2020
There are no words. RIP Eddie. True innovator. Thoughts go out to your family and friends #5150 pic.twitter.com/LIUPkoSz4A
— OVERKILL (@OverkillBand) October 6, 2020
Hands up if your first exposure to rock guitar was Eddie Van Halen on Beat It. 🖐️ Really sad news about EVH.
— Field Music (@fieldmusicmusic) October 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/ryleywalker/status/1313566433046138882
Damn RIP EVH a true guitar God
— Garcia Peoples (@Garcia_Peoples) October 6, 2020
Rest in Power, EVH. Thank you for your music and your influence. You changed the game for rock and heavy metal and most of us wouldn't be doing what we do without you. pic.twitter.com/wQqbxeJ1pD
— Season of Mist (@SeasonofMist) October 6, 2020
Eddie Van Halen has died. Many more eloquent than me will discuss his musical achievements, so I'll just note that he was owner and inventor of the patent with the baddest-ass diagram in the history of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office https://t.co/R1ueaXNEsw pic.twitter.com/svLbBs3qK8
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) October 6, 2020
Thankful to have been alive at the same time as Eddie Van Halen.
RIP to the absolute wizard of electric guitar. pic.twitter.com/i5SreFKOR6
— Dave Hause (@hausedave) October 6, 2020
Even when I was trying to be the cool teen into the weirdest most obscure new music, I still had ‘1984’. Van Halen were their own genre.
— @ACNewman (@ACNewman) October 6, 2020
RIP Eddie Van Halen, a god and a genius.
— Witch Taint (@WitchTaint) October 6, 2020
You just don’t let up, do you 2020? #RIPEddieVanHalen https://t.co/u0IcBkgM7l
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) October 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/beachslang/status/1313589865322291201
I am devastated at the news of the passing of my friend Eddie Van Halen. pic.twitter.com/hUyIdKXsdG
— Kenny Chesney (@kennychesney) October 6, 2020
I'm absolutely gutted by this news. Dead from throat cancer. Eddie was the only guitar player I ever saw that was always smiling. The most influential guitar player of all time. #ripeddievanhalen
Stay away from those cigarettes kids. #eddievanhalen https://t.co/1ixyk12yn6 pic.twitter.com/xPZHUBId4a— Benjamin Weinman (@dillingerescpln) October 6, 2020
Omg…RIP, Edward…Our Thoughts Are Prayers Are With Your Family, Friends & Fans…What An Incredible Loss…Truly An Astonishing Musician…💔💔💔
Eddie Van Halen Dead at 65 from Cancer https://t.co/oA0P9VrnGp— David Coverdale (@davidcoverdale) October 6, 2020
Super sad to hear about the passing of Eddie Van Halen. He was a big influence on Chris & me as we were writing Bill & Ted. In fact, when director Stephen Herek was reading the script he got 3 pages in, stopped, put on 1984 & resumed. We wanted the movie to be a cinematic “Jump.” pic.twitter.com/B2oTnDMWdH
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) October 6, 2020
We tried to get him to do something – anything – in Face the Music, but they said he was unavailable and wouldn’t tell us why. Sadly, I think I know now.
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) October 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/WEarlBrown/status/1313571789625204736
Eddie Van Halen??
Enough, 2020, dammit— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) October 6, 2020
RIP EVH, one of the greatest
— Blake Mills (@_blakemills) October 6, 2020
aw man. RIP eddie!
— Cloud Nothings (@cloudnothings) October 6, 2020
so long EVHhttps://t.co/imAVEj0Mah
— erol alkan (@erolalkan) October 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/edgarwright/status/1313567146912493569
REST IN PEACE AND THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC, MR. VAN HALEN Van Halen Eruption Guitar Solo https://t.co/WtyMDy6l5L via @YouTube
— Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) October 6, 2020
My favorite Van Halen song https://t.co/YjXACsE0Gb I love you Eddie. Thank you.
— Rob Delaney (@robdelaney) October 6, 2020
Wow I'm sorry to his family, loved ones, all of us. What a tragic tragic loss. Not one single person reading this will feel anything other than the floor dropping out beneath them. I know we all wish him happy trails until we meet again but I'm so sad. God Bless Eddie Van Halen https://t.co/Os7y23Vvyp
— Martha Quinn Ⓥ (@MarthaQuinn) October 6, 2020
2020 just keeps sucking pic.twitter.com/2pC6QQQEZL
— Tom Colicchio (@tomcolicchio) October 6, 2020