Wolfgang Van Halen has weighed in with a new message marking the fifth anniversary of Eddie Van Halen’s death.
Eddie’s son has gone on to become one of the bigger stars of rock over the last five years, launching his band Mammoth WVH (now just Mammoth) shortly after the death of his father in 2020. The younger Van Halen even launched his career with the song “Distance” that was a touching tribute to his father.
In the years prior to launching his solo career, Wolfgang was instrumental in keeping the Van Halen legacy going as he played bass alongside his father, uncle (Alex Van Halen) and the band’s first vocalist David Lee Roth in Van Halen.
What Did Woflgang Van Halen Said About Eddie Van Halen on His Death Anniversary?
In an Instagram post, Wolf shared a photo of himself taken with his father as they shared a moment with their instruments onstage. Along with the photo was a caption and a brief message shared by Wolfgang.
“It’s been 5 years. The amount of things I wish I could share with you just keep piling up. I know you’d be proud… but I wish I could hear you say it. I’m trying to do the best I can. Love and miss you more than you know, Pop,” shared the younger Van Halen along with a red heart emoji.
What Wolfgang Van Halen Has Said About Being in Van Halen
Wolfgang Van Halen has been very open about his history with Van Halen, his desire to not rely on the Van Halen name and legacy to build his own career and being selective about where and when he does deliver any Van Halen material within the live setting.
In a 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, Wolf shared that his time in Van Halen had taught him a lot about band dynamics and what he also didn’t want for his own band.
“With Van Halen, I learned a lot of how I didn’t want things to be with Mammoth. Why do we need to be walking around on eggshells? Why is there a problem all the time? Like, why can’t we just get along and play music? Don’t we all love music enough to put our bullshit aside and actually have a good time having this be our livelihood? Shouldn’t it be easier than this?” he said.
“That was one of the main things with Mammoth, was to build this healthy core of people on the inside. That can’t be swayed and that can weather any storm, throughout anything we need to.”
READ MORE: Eddie Van Halen’s Favorite Album, According to Wolfgang
In 2024, on what would have been Eddie’s 69th birthday, Wolf shared, “I wish you were here so I could give you a big hug, go to dinner, celebrate it with you and make a dumb joke about it being your 69th birthday. Just regular shit. I miss hearing you laugh. I miss laughing with you. It’s the little things.”
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Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire
