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Eddie Van Halen Bio
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Eddie Van Halen Finely-tuned guitar virtuoso, Eddie Van Halen was born Edward Lodewijk Van Halen on January 26, 1955, in Nijmegen, Netherlands. In 1962, the Van Halen family moved to Pasadena, California, where Eddie immediately began taking piano lessons and winning local competitions. Before long, Eddie had taken up drums, while his brother, Alex Van Halen, took a liking to guitar. Eventually the brothers switched instruments, and Eddie began playing guitar at age twelve, influenced by the sounds of Eric Clapton.
In high school, Eddie and Alex began playing in a band with classmate and bass player, Mark Stone. Under the band name Mammoth, the trio fatefully ended up renting their P.A. system from David Lee Roth, who had previously auditioned for the band but not been chosen. Tired of singing lead vocals and strapped for cash, they decided they could get their P.A. system for free if they let Roth into the band.
Eventually the Van Halen brothers decided they needed a new bassist, as Mark Stone was having a rough time remembering songs. At this time, bassist Michael Anthony was called over for a Mammoth jam session with the band, who had become well-known by that time from playing gigs at local Pasadena clubs. Anthony was asked to sing bass and eventually backup vocals. The band switched their name from Mammoth to Van Halen, which Roth is sometimes credited with suggesting as it was the last name of two of the band’s members.
In 1977, Van Halen was signed to Warner Bros. records, and recorded their self-titled debut album. Eddie’s "two handed tapping technique" and other secret string skills made the album an instant success, and catapulted him to the ranks of Jimi Hendrix as one of the best rock guitarists of all time. He also demonstrated his piano skills on such later albums as 1984.
During the mid-80s, Eddie was asked to play on Michael Jackson’s song "Beat It" from the monster hit album, Thriller. He also played on the soundtrack for films such as Back To The Future in 1985, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure in 1988, Twister in 1996, and Lethal Weapon 4 in 1998.
According to Gene Simmons, Van Halen approached KISS by himself in 1982 about replacing Ace Frehley, who was battling substance abuse at the time. Eddie was reportedly fed-up with personal conflicts he was having with Roth; however, Roth beat him to the punch, and became the first to leave in 1985. Following Roth’s departure from Van Halen, Sammy Hagar joined the group; although he too eventually left. Despite sporadic reunion performances with and without various original members, the band is currently deemed inactive.
Throughout the 90s, Eddie battled alcoholism, lost his mother, was treated twice for oral cancer, and underwent hip replacement surgery. On the bright side, he and wife Valerie Bertinelli, who he wed in 1981, welcomed the birth of son, Wolfgang William Van Halen. The couple eventually parted ways, divorcing in 2005; they currently share custody of their son, nicknamed Wolfie.
On September 8, 2006, Eddie dropped by Howard Stern’s Sirius satellite radio station for a long-overdue public update. During the interview, he attributed his oral cancer to holding a metal pick in his mouth for up to fourteen hours a day under the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the music studio. He also revealed that he continued to smoke, and claimed to have treated the cancer himself using an unspecified illegal method in conjunction with a pharmaceutical lab.
On September 11, 2006, Eddie announced that he no longer bore a grudge against David Lee Roth, and raised the possibility of playing a few shows together. YUDDY |
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Yuddy top celebrities
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