Wolfgang Recalls His Father Eddie Van Halen’s Upsetting Health Struggles
Mammoth WVH bandleader Wolfgang Van Halen recalled his late father Eddie Van Halen‘s upsetting health struggles.
The musician revealed those times while speaking to Telegraph.
When the interviewer focused on the health struggles of Eddie Van Halen, Wolfgang said that his father struggles with many different health issues.
“He was diagnosed with [stage four] lung cancer [in 2017],” he said. “We got some good, liveable years, but that was the beginning [of the end], I would say.
“It really didn’t take a turn for the worst until the end of 2019. There were still positive moments in between, but that’s when it took a nosedive. So many different health issues stacked on top of each other. He just buckled under the weight of it all.
“When you grow up you always know, ‘One day I’ll have to take care of the parent,’ but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. While it was happening I was like, ‘OK, it’ll happen later,’ but little did I know I was already in the middle of it.”
He Discusses His Relationship With His Father Eddie Van Halen
Continuing the interview, Wolfgang focused on their relationship. He revealed how Eddie Van Halen was while he was growing up.
“Growing up, he certainly was the secondary parent,” Wolfgang continues. “But, still, any time he was home, we bonded just as much as any son and father.
“When we eventually played together, that’s when [our relationship] was the best, because we got to see each other every day.”
Wolfgang Says Eddie Has Demons That Caused To Split His Family
Later, Wolfgang touched on his father’s teaching side.
“It’s like when you find out that Albert Einstein couldn’t tie his shoes. Someone is just so talented that imparting that knowledge is such a challenge for them.
“He tried, but then he would just proceed to be Eddie Van Halen. It’s like, ‘You need to give me more than just A to B!’
“I picked up the drums instead; that was the result of Dad being a successful teacher. He put magazines on a table and he pretended one was a high-hat.”
He admitted that his late father Eddie Van Halen had demons that caused him to split his family.
“Another one was a snare; if you can put a kick in between those then that’s a straight-up Highway to Hell, AC/DC drumbeat. When he saw I could do it, he went, ‘Happy birthday!’ on my ninth birthday and gave me a drum kit…
“I think I was forced to mature way earlier than people are normally asked to. As wonderful a father as he was, he had a lot of demons. They would come out every now and then. It’s why my parents split.”
