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Artist News
Eddie Van Halen’s son hits out at band line-up rumours, as Pasadena considers memorial to late guitarist
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 26 October 2020
Wolfgang Van Halen has responded angrily to rumours that he is set to take over his recently deceased father’s lead guitarist role in Van Halen in a new incarnation of the band. “This is just a shitty lie attempting to capitalise on these awful times”, he said on Twitter.
Originating in a Facebook fan group, the rumour was then shared by the website Metal Sludge on Twitter. It claims that Wolfgang Van Halen is set to take over lead guitar duties, with former bassist Michael Anthony returning to his role, vocalist Sammy Hagar replacing David Lee Roth again, and Alex Van Halen remaining on drums. The person who posted the story also claimed that Eddie Van Halen had given his blessing to the new line-up prior to his death.
Responding, Wolfgang Van Halen said: “Anyone peddling this shit is not only hurting the fans, but hurting me and my family”.
Meanwhile, something that does seem to be true is that the city of Pasadena – where Eddie and Alex Van Halen grew up – is considering a permanent memorial to the late guitarist. This comes after a section of pavement near their childhood home, into which the brothers carved their names, became a makeshift memorial.
In a report prepared for a city council meeting on the subject later today, Van Halen is described as “a former Pasadena resident who went on to become one of the all-time greatest guitar players in rock n roll history”. It goes on to make proposals for renaming a street or alleyway in the city in Van Halen’s honour or constructing some other public monument.
It notes that renaming a residential street would probably be a bad idea, due to the likelihood that the renamed road will become a destination for fans and visitors. One possible location suggested is an alleyway currently known as Electric Drive, behind the Raymond Theater. The venue was formerly owned by David Lee Roth’s father and was used for early Van Halen rehearsals.
Another alternative, it suggests, would be a plaque placed in a location significant to Eddie Van Halen. Possible locations include the Van Halen family home, Pasadena City College, or Hamilton Park, where the Van Halen brothers performed before forming Van Halen. Although it suggests the best location might be the Pasadena Convention Center and Civic Auditorium, which hosted some early Van Halen performances.
“Both Eddie and Alex Van Halen lived in Pasadena, have strong connections to Pasadena having lived in the city, attended its public schools, delivered newspapers for the Pasadena Star News and entertained local residents both during backyard parties and later on stage and through the radio”, says the report.
“Recognising Van Halen the band and/or individual members should be considered”, it goes on “With his passing, Eddie Van Halen’s international recognition as a musical artist is noted for the significant impact he had on the rock n roll genre and his legacy is a source of hometown pride for the city”.
