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I know this isn't sports per se but a lot of us grew up listening to Van Halen music and still do. Eddie played like no other, I love the classic DLR lineup.

Eddie Van Halen -- the legendary guitarist and co-founder of Van Halen -- has died after a long battle with throat cancer ... TMZ has learned.

Sources directly connected to the rock star tell us ... he died at St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica Tuesday. His wife, Janie was by his side, along with his son Wolfgang and Alex, Eddie's brother and drummer.

We're told in the last 72 hours Eddie's ongoing health battle went massively downhill -- doctors discovered his throat cancer had moved to his brain as well as other organs.

read full story at https://www.tmz.com/2020/10/06...dead-dies-cancer-65/

"LOVE to the Power of 10" ≠ç ç

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EVH wrote the famous guitar shred for Michael Jackson's Beat It, another all time great riff, in about 15 minutes. 

He was a true virtuoso of rock guitar. Hopefully in his death, he will get more attention. People today have little concept of listening to an entire album start to finish. I wore out copies of I, 1984, OU812 and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. VH was a big part of the soundtrack of my youth.

One of my favorite EVH memories was when he sat in with Letterman's house band on Late Night.
He played the opening parts of "Jump" on Paul Shaffer's keyboard, which, as far as I know, the only time anyone other than Shaffer played them.

There's a blip of it at the beginning, but it starts at about :43.

To me Fair Warning is his (and Van Halen's) best work. 

The opening to Mean Street may not be Eruption, but man it absolutely kills. Unchained is for my money the best song VH did. His first foray into the keyboards. Hear About It Later and So This Is Love? are great.

Their first 6 albums were as good as any 6 album run.  

And he married my first celebrity crush...

@packerboi posted:

Incredible artist. Just amazing. 

I heard a rumor it was the steel picks he used to put in his mouth that he blamed for his cancer. 

Regardless, to cancer. RIP Eddie. 

Steel picks causing cancer? Possibly, but I doubt it. Makes me smile because that's something Eddie would definitely say....I'm going to go with he smoked like a friggin train & lotsa hard alcohol too.

pharyngeal pouch or esophageal diverticulum -- Know what that is? It's a little pouch that can collect & hold alcohol (or anything else). How do I know this? My Step Dad died of throat cancer & he drank the hard stuff like Ozzy or Keith Richards amounts. Doctors believe if you drink too much of the hard stuff, it collects there & eventually causes throat cancer.

When I do enjoy some Single Malt or high end Tequila, I'm always finishing with water to help clean out that pouch.

FU Cancer.....RIP Eddie....far & away one of my idols in the music scene. Shedding tears for a man I didn't even know....FU 2020 Just FU

Last edited by Boris

A source close to Van Halen told PEOPLE that the guitar hero had a rapid decline in health over the past three days and that the cancer had "spread to all his organs."

His wife Janie Liszewski, son Wolf and ex-wife Valerie were by his side at the time of his death.

Earlier this year, his former bandmate David Lee Roth told Las Vegas-Review Journal that Van Halen was not doing well.

The iconic guitarist had battled cancer for more than 10 years, according to TMZ. He previously defeated tongue cancer in 2002 after a two-year battle.

Last year, he was admitted to the hospital with intestinal issues after a bad reaction to his cancer treatment.

https://people.com/music/eddie...&mid=42214848225

A Van Halen fan at a young age, loved the Roth years (saw Roth at the Dodge Co. fair when I was to young to buy beer, but buying beer for the ladies anyway).  Women and Children First is my favorite Roth years album.  Big Bad Bill has Eddie and Alex's dad playing on it, great song.  

But I've grown to like the Hagar stuff better.  Hot Summer Nights is my favorite song by VH.  The tone changed and musically they went farther with Hagar.  It's all in 5150, OU812 and FUCK (Balance was not great).  

Not many could do what Eddie did, maybe some viral video drinking cranberry juice will get the kids to see that.  

I was 9 when VH1 came out. My two older brothers played that record repeatedly. Like many, I can hear that record note for note in my head. And also like so many millions, my life and significant memories are totally intertwined with Van Halen's music. So many experiences with so many people where I can vividly recall Van Halen as the soundtrack. Had a good 2 hours earlier where I cranked up the living room stereo and even 40 years later I'm still amazed at how good they were, and of course Ed in particular. And it occured to me tonight- I've heard their stuff thousands of times, and always naturally thought of them as a hard rock band. But really, at heart, at their best, they were the greatest swing band of our lifetime. And listening with that in the front of my head gives me even more appreciation of Eddie and the whole band. Anyone who got to experience VH is truly fortunate to have lived at a time in history where we could be graced with such a phenomenal body of work.

Damn  2020 we cry freaking uncle already enough!

I didn't truly appreciate how good he was until I saw him play in person i think in GB in 1984.  Wow is the only word I have to this day.

As for my favorite VH album it is VH2 and 1984 a close second (graduated in 84)

@PackerHawk posted:

Lived a great life including 21 years with Valerie Bertinelli. Can't complain about that! 

LOL, from a FB post...
 
Years ago, Jimmy told me that Ed used to show up there with a 12 pack and just hang out playing guitar until Valerie would call, asking for him.
Ed would say, "Tell her I just left." 😁
2020 just keeps on sucking more and more every fucking day !

Loved EVH recount of when David Lee Roth left the band, and did so in the shittiest way possible, basically told EVH "I'm bigger than this band,"

EVH says "I told Roth, next time you talk to me like that, you better be wearing a cup."

Our guitar player was a total EVH disciple. Cut his teeth on learning his riffs (very underrated part of EVH’s genius). 

The musical genius of EVH spawned the entire 80s decade of rock guitarists... every band had to have a virtuoso guitar player finger tapping and whammy barring, flying up and down the fretboard. The Brown Tone is easily the most iconic and recognizable guitar tone in music. 

Musically, the Van Hagar era was their finest. But I always gravitated to the early stuff. I was just a kid, but having older brothers, I heard it all. 1984 never left the cassette deck in the car. 

Last edited by Music City

as a youngster teenager I heard Runnin' With the Devil on the radio and my jaw hit the ground.  the next time I could I asked about the band at the local record store.  VH was so new the guy hadn't even heard of them - I had him order the LP.  the rest is history.

I'm old, never got it, I'm more of a Albert/BB King, Scotty Moore, Chuck Berry guitar kind guy.  ONe good note instead of pyrotechnics. But after hearing all the rave reviews here and elsewhere I feel I need to give him and them a new listen.

@Pikes Peak posted:

I'm old, never got it, I'm more of a Albert/BB King, Scotty Moore, Chuck Berry guitar kind guy.  ONe good note instead of pyrotechnics. But after hearing all the rave reviews here and elsewhere I feel I need to give him and them a new listen.

Like a lot of sports discussions, it has to be remembered in context. At the time EVH entered the scene, there was no one sounded like that. No one ever played like that. 10 years later, everyone did. 

But it was a seminal moment, like the invention of the piano, or the appearance and evolution of Ragtime and Jazz in the late 19th Century, which eventually gave birth to the Blues, spawning the modern era of pop music and it’s twists and turns. These little moments influence about 95% of the music we listen to today. 

In rock music, the appearance of EVH was one of those moments. Before him, bluesey noodlers like Jimmy Page and the rest of the 70s rock guitar gods had run into a brick wall. There wasn’t much left to explore- then came Eddie. Nothing was ever the same. 

Is there a better opening track on a debut album than "Runnin' With the Devil"?

 

Not saying they are better, but in the team picture.

Welcome to the Jungle - GNR

Head Like A Hole - NiN

Blister in the Sun - Femmes

Radio Free Europe - REM

Good Times Roll - The Cars

More Than a Feeling - Boston

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

Good Times, Bad Times - Zeppelin

@Timpranillo posted:

Not saying they are better, but in the team picture.

Welcome to the Jungle - GNR

Head Like A Hole - NiN

Blister in the Sun - Femmes

Radio Free Europe - REM

Good Times Roll - The Cars

More Than a Feeling - Boston

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

Good Times, Bad Times - Zeppelin

Sweet Child of Mine - GNR

Sunshine of Your Love - Clapton/Cream

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