It was a total shock to me yesterday, when I heard the news that we had lost Eddie Van Halen.
I knew he had battle tongue cancer in the past, but had no idea that his battle was continuing. The family decided to keep his battle a secret. I had been wondering why we hadn't heard much from Van Halen over the past 5 years. Their last concert was back in 2015.
I'm glad I got to see Van Halen in concert several times, and in fact got to meet the legend a few times.
The "Meet & Greets" I had with Van Halen were usually short, and most people gravitated toward Eddie (with good reason), so I didn't talk to him much, but when I did he seemed like a cool guy(not just a guitar god).
Every time I met Eddie Van Halen, before we were introduced, we were told to NOT shake his hand. (Since of course his hands are VERY important). BUT, every single time, Eddie shook my hand, and with a strong grip. Just shows how nice a guy he was.
In face, after one show I went to, I later received this in the mail
Of course, I'm in radio, and play Van Halen songs, but I don't recall any other artist doing that.
Edward Van Halen, was a guitar god, and thankfully his music will live on.
R.I.P. EVH
K.C.-ya!