I’m in complete shock. The man who put the electric guitar front and center in rock n’ roll has passed away at the age of 65 from throat cancer, as reported by TMZ. It seems the cancer had spread rapidly from his throat to other organs, taking him from us far too young.
He is survived by his wife Janie, son Wolfgang and brother Alex who were all present at St. John’s hospital in Santa Monica, CA when he crossed over into the great gig in the sky. He will be desperately missed by the guitar community, the world of music at large, and all who knew him.
There is none more influential than the towering legend of EVH when it comes to what the electric guitar has become. He changed the game entirely – I remember hearing stories from older guitar players who heard Van Halen’s solo on the radio for the first time and going “What the f-ck was that? There’s no way that was a guitar!” and then there were two worlds – the time before EVH and the time after.
We at Gear Gods offer our sincerest condolences to the Van Halen family.
