Eddie Van Halen's Last Words On Social Media
Eddie Van Halen's death came as a shock to the world on Oct. 6, 2020. Often credited as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Van Halen and his brother, Alex Van Halen, formed their band that would share their name in 1970s California. Eddie's playing became one of the defining sounds of the late 1970s and 1980s, with the band featuring heavily on MTV and ushering a wave of big hair and hard rock to the forefront of pop music.
News of Eddie Van Halen's death broke on social media when his son, Wolfgang Van Halen, tweeted that his father "lost his long and arduous battle with cancer." Wolfgang had joined the band alongside his father and uncle as an adult. "Every moment I shared with him on and off the stage was a gift," he said.
As the world comes to grips with the loss of a music industry titan, people are looking back on what Eddie Van Halen left behind, including a touching final post on social media.
Van Halen was a family band
Eddie Van Halen (pictured top row, right) was not a particularly active social media user, but he did take to Instagram and Twitter every once in a while to share good news and life updates. Van Halen's final post on both platforms was not about himself, but actually went out to his brother and bandmate, Alex Van Halen (pictured bottom row right).
"Happy birthday Al!!" the rocker wrote on Instagram on May 8, 2020, adding, "Love ya!!," and a healthy assortment of hashtags, including, #family, #rockband, and #love.
While it's unlikely that Eddie intended this to be his final post when he created it, it's a fitting exit for a man who made his living touring the world and making music with his brother for over 40 years. The brothers were both born in Amsterdam, and moved to California as children. They worked together from then on, and expanded the band into more of a family affair when Eddie's son Wolfgang joined in 2006. Eddie's final post shows the dedication he had for his family, a dedication he carried with him for life. He will be deeply missed.
Eddie Van Halen wished son Wolfgang 'Happy Birthday' on Instagram each year
Eddie Van Halen's last post might have been a touching nod to his brother, Alex Van Halen, in May 2020, but his second to last Instagram post was equally as touching. On Mar. 16, 2020, Eddie shared a baby picture of his son, Wolfgang Van Halen, who was also the bassist in Van Halen, with warm wishes for his birthday. He captioned the photo, "The Best Day Of My Life. Happy Birthday Wolf! I Love You So Much!! Your Pop ❤." But this birthday message for his son wasn't just a one-time deal — Eddie made sure to take to social media year after year to guarantee the whole world knew how much he loved his son and how much he celebrated his birth.
The father and son duo were very close, making Wolfgang's message about his father's death on social media that much harder to read. Wolfgang wrote, in part, "He was the best father I could ever ask for ... My heart is broken and I don't think I'll ever fully recover from this loss."
Eddie Van Halen never missed a chance to post about his dog, Kody
Eddie Van Halen may not have posted much on Instagram, but there was one prominent figure that appeared repeatedly (other than his son, of course): his dog, Kody. Eddie's tiny Pomeranian was clearly the musician's furry pride and joy. Eddie had the pup for over a decade and shared a few snippets of his life in luxury — complete with cute memes! Kody was on hand to help his dad barbecue some hot dogs on the Fourth of July in 2017 and stick his nose up at a Thanksgiving meal that was decidedly not turkey. Kody even has his own Facebook page with more than 11,000 followers. Kody's family frequently shares photos at home and funny anecdotes about life, keeping things light and fun despite the health struggles Eddie endured for the past several years.
In between Instagram pictures of Kody, Eddie managed to keep his social media posts upbeat and positive, spreading nothing but love around to his friends, family, and fans. His positive attitude and bright outlook on life — not to mention his immense impact on the music industry — will be greatly missed.