The tributes have been pouring in from all over for late, great guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who died earlier this week, after a long battle with tongue cancer. His brother, legendary drummer Alex Van Halen has broken his silence and released a statement in tribute to his late brother, and Eddie keeps it short and sweet.
Alex gave a statement to Van Halen News Desk saying “Hey Ed. Love you. See you on the other side. Your brother, Al.”
I can't even imagine what the Van Halen family had to go through, dealing with Eddie's cancer battle. Alex joins the rest of his bandmates in paying tribute to Eddie.
On Tuesday, David Lee Roth wrote "What a Long Great Trip It’s Been.."
Bassist Michael Anthony, who was all set to reunite with the band last year before Eddie's health problems got worse, shared some vintage photos and wrote “No words…Heartbroken, my love to the family.”
Sammy Hagar's initial tribute was short and sweet, writing "Heartbroken and speechless. My love to the family." He revealed to The Howard Stern Show, that he and Eddie were texting in the last months of Eddie's life, writing:
"Eddie and I had been texting, and it's been a love fest since we started communicating earlier this year. We both agreed not to tell anyone, because of all the rumors it would stir up about a reunion, et cetera, and we both knew that wasn't gonna happen. But he also didn't want anyone to know about his health."
Sammy continued: "He stopped responding to me a month ago, and I figured it wasn't good. I reached out one more time last week, and when he didn't respond, I figured it was a matter of time. But it came way too soon."
Gary Cherone, who infamously joined the band after Sammy Hagar left in the mid-90s, wrote "Whether you were blessed to have known him or not, He was a kind and gentle soul… His impact on ALL our lives was immeasurable! His music, eternal! My deepest sympathies to the Van Halen family… Love you Ed #LongLiveTheKing!”
Of course, his son, Wolfgang, was the first to pay tribute, announcing his dad's death and writing "I can’t believe I’m having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning. He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift. My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss. I love you so much, Pop."
View more tributes from the metal and rock community here.
