Eddie Van Halen, whose mother was Indonesian, dies aged 65

Classic rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen has died at the age of 65 from throat cancer.

Best known for co-founding the rock group Van Halen with his brother Alex, the rock star’s legacy of songs includes ‘Jump’, ‘Panama’, ‘Ain’t Talkin Bout Love’ and ‘Runnin With The Devil’.

Eddie Van Halen was born in Amsterdam in 1955 as Edward Lodewijk van Halen. His father Jan van Halen was a Dutch clarinetist, saxophonist and pianist.

His mother, Eugenia van Halen was born in Rangkasbitung – the capital town of the Indonesian island of Java.

The Van Halens moved to Pasadena in 1962, where Eddie grew up.

Fans across the world have paid their tributes to the late singer.

Jakarta-born singer-songwriter Anggun described Van Halen as “one of the greatest guitar players of all time.”

“He was also good looking,” she wrote on Instagram, “probably because he had Indonesian blood. He was my guitar hero.”

In other news, Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada – founder of Kenzo – has died at the age of 81.

 

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Le guitariste de ma jeunesse s’est envolé 🖤 .. I grew up listening to the legendary #VanHalen and would cover many of their songs on stage during my rock days. I loved David Lee Roth era but Sammy Hagar brought mean vocals to the band. And there’s Eddie Van Halen who was one of the Greatest Guitar players of all time. He was also good looking, probably because he had Indonesian blood. He was my guitar hero 🖤 .. #RIPEddieVanHalen

A post shared by Anggun Official (@anggun_cipta) on Oct 6, 2020 at 2:21pm PDT