Rock legend Eddie Van Halen died at the age of 65 in October 2020 after a battle with throat cancer which had spread to his brain
The legendary Van Halen guitarist, battled the disease over ten years as he continued to perform with the group.
Van Halen, made up of Eddie, his brother Alex Van Halen, Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen and David Lee Roth, was one of the most iconic heavy metal bands in the world and they're known for iconic songs such as Jump.
The group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 and Eddie last performed with them in October 2015 at the Hollywood Bowl in LA.
As his 26th January birthday approaches Daily Star Online takes a look inside his tragic death, drug abuse, cancer battle and the suspected cause of his illness.
Sex and drug abuse
Van Halen formed in 1978 started out as a backyard party band in Los Angeles with the two Van Halen brothers Eddie and Alex, before they hired bass player, Michael Anthony and untrained vocalist David Lee Roth.
After bagging a record deal Eddie and the group embarked on tours which were bursting with sex, drugs and hotel room destruction, a book by their personal manager Noel Monk claims.
The 2017 Runnin' with the Devil book tells how the lad's motto was "drink a bottle of booze, pop a couple ludes, smoke a joint or two (or ten) and see where the night takes you".
Monk wrote: "They perfectly embodied the West Coast surfer, stoner and partying culture – bongs, babes and parties."
The group collapsed in 1985 before later reforming after fighting, out-of-control alcoholic consumption and drug binges, according to the book.
Monk said: "Too much talent and too much ego, too many disparate personalities, too much drugs and alcohol. They had to be great right from the beginning, because there was no way it could last."
Monk said prescription drugs were required to keep the band going such as Odeine to Percodan, along with street drugs and booze.
Tragic death
According to his son Wolfgang, Eddie was given six weeks to live in 2017 after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.
After receiving the diagnosis Eddie went to Germany for treatment.
“Whatever the f**k they do over there, it’s amazing, because I got three more years with him,” Wolfgang told NME.
But in 2020 he sadly passed way, with his death certificate, which was obtained byTMZ , stating his immediate cause of death as a stroke.
It also stated he also had several underlying causes of death, including pneumonia, bone marrow disorder myelodysplastic syndrome and lung cancer.
It also state he had “other significant conditions”, including skin cancer on his head and neck and an irregular heart rate.
Eddie’s body was cremated 22 days after his death and his ashes were given to Wolfgang.
Cancer blamed on guitar pick
Despite being a heavy smoker Eddie is believed to have developed throat cancer from a metal guitar pick he held in his mouth more than 20 years ago.
When he first suffered tongue cancer in 2000 surgeons removed a third of his tongue and he was declared cancer-free in 2002 – but the disease returned several years later.
Eddie was adamant cigarettes didn't cause him to suffer from cancer and instead blamed his disease on a metal guitar plectrum he used to put around in his mouth when he performed with Van Halen on stage.
"I used metal picks – they’re brass and copper – which I always held in my mouth, in the exact place where I got the tongue cancer," he said.
"Plus, I basically live in a recording studio that’s filled with electromagnetic energy. So that’s one theory. I mean, I was smoking and doing a lot of drugs and a lot of everything. But at the same time, my lungs are totally clear. This is just my own theory, but the doctors say it’s possible.”
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