Eddie Van Halen
photo by Greg Cristman

Eddie Van Halen's cause of death confirmed

Eddie Van Halen passed away at 65 in October, and now his cause of death has been confirmed. TMZ report that his death certificate lists cerebrovascular event (a stroke) as the immediate cause, and pneumonia, lung cancer, and the bone marrow disorder myelodysplastic syndrome as underlying causes. Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (skin cancer) and atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat) are also listed as contributing factors.

In a November interview with Howard Stern, Eddie’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen, said that Eddie had been diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at the end of 2017, with a brain tumor discovered after a 2019 motorcycle accident.

Eddie was cremated, with his ashes going to Wolfgang, and sources told TMZ that one of his final wishes was for his ashes to be scattered in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Malibu, CA.