Since the boys did not speak English as a first language, they were considered 'minority' students and experienced bullying by white students. They settled near other family members in Pasadena, California, where Eddie and his brother Alex attended a segregated elementary school. Īfter experiencing mistreatment for their mixed-race relationship in the 1950s, the parents moved the family to the U.S. The family eventually settled in Nijmegen, Netherlands. His father was a Dutch jazz pianist, clarinettist, and saxophonist, while his mother was an Indo (Eurasian) woman from Rangkasbitung on the island of Java in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Early life Įdward Lodewijk Van Halen was born in Amsterdam on January 26, 1955, the son of Jan van Halen and Eugenia (née van Beers). He died in October 2020 due to complications from throat cancer. Van Halen dealt with numerous health issues since the 1990s. Rolling Stone named Van Halen the 4th greatest guitarist of all time in its “The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” list in 2023.

Van Halen is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists in rock history and was well-known for popularizing the tapping guitar technique, allowing rapid arpeggios to be played with two hands on the fretboard. Van Halen also provided backing vocals for both David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, and occasionally played the keyboard. He was the guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he founded with his brother Alex in 1972. Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( / v æ n ˈ h eɪ l ən/ van HAY-lən, Dutch: January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician.

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