What Wolfgang Van Halen Has Been Doing Since Eddie Van Halen's Death

During their years-long marriage, rock star Eddie Van Halen and actor Valerie Bertinelli welcomed their son Wolfgang Van Halen in 1991. Unsurprisingly, like his famous father, Wolfgang fell in love with music, and at only 15, he was already a beast of a musician. "His main instrument is drums, number two is guitar and about three weeks ago, he started playing bass. This kid is f****** dangerous," Eddie gushed on "The Howard Stern Show" back in 2006. "If I excel at the speed of sound, this kid excels at the speed of light." That same year, the world got to experience Wolfgang's talents after Eddie confirmed that the then-teenager would join Van Halen as a replacement for the band's longtime bassist, Michael Anthony. "Wolfgang breathes new life into what we're doing," Eddie said at the time, per Music Radar. "He brings youthfulness to something that's inherently youthful."

Up until Eddie's death in October 2020, Wolfgang served as the band's lead bassist, playing on different tours and concerts through the years. Expectedly, though, his father's death took a heavy toll on Wolfgang. "It doesn't seem like the pain is ever really gonna go away. You just kinda figure out how to carry it a bit better," he said in a November 2020 interview with Today. "I'm gonna keep going," he said. "Because I know that's what he wanted, just to keep going." But apart from constantly honoring his father's memory, what else has Wolfgang been up to since Eddie Van Halen's death?

Following Eddie Van Halen's death, rumors of a potential replacement started swirling, with fans speculating that Wolfgang would take his father's place as Van Halen's lead guitarist. "It has been mentioned that Eddie Van Halen told his son and brother, I give you my blessing," a fan wrote in a tweet, per People. Wolfgang however, refuted the rumors about the band reuniting, revealing on "The Howard Stern Show" that he had no intention of replacing Eddie. "I'm not going to replace him, you know?," Wolfgang explained. "I've spent my life making sure I'm not like him. I'm my own person. And my dad, again, he'd be pissed off. He'd be, like, 'What the f*** are you doing? Go do your sh**." During the interview, Wolfgang also confirmed that there was no hope of a reunion for the band. Rather, Wolfgang went solo.

He now serves as the leading act of Mammoth WFH. In 2021, he founded the band and released his first solo album, "Mammoth WVH," — a project boasting chart-topping songs including "Distance" and "Don't Back Down." For "Distance," Wolfgang earned his first Grammy nomination in the best rock song category. But despite losing the award to Foo Fighter's "Waiting on a War," Wolfgang couldn't be more thankful for his strides. "Such an honor to be nominated for the first song I ever released on my own, in a category with artists I've looked up to my entire life," he wrote on Instagram.

Not only is Wolfgang Van Halen racking up new feats in his music career, his personal life is apparently no different. In July 2022, Wolfgang announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend Andraia Allsop. "She said yes," he wrote in an Instagram post featuring a photo of himself and Allsop showing off a diamond engagement ring. Per People, many fans and loved ones, including Van Halen's mom, Valerie Bertinelli, left good wishes for the couple in the comments section.

Though Wolfgang and Allsop have kept their relationship private, he doesn't fail to publicly gush about her from time to time. "Happy Birthday to my beautiful lady @photosbydraia," he wrote on Instagram in celebration of her birthday in March 2021. "You make my life better in every way just by existing. I love you more than anything."

Back in December 2020, they celebrated their five-year anniversary with a picture of them snuggled up together as they watched a sunset. "5 years with this beautiful lady today. I'm so thankful that she's in my life," he wrote in an accompanying note on Instagram. "She's the reason I'm remotely functional at all right now. She's helped me through so much. I don't know what I'd do without her. I love you, @andraia.allsop."