David Lee Roth Speaks Out On The Death Of Eddie Van Halen

David Lee Roth has spoken out on the death of Eddie Van Halen via a simple Instagram post. The original lead singer of Van Halen shared a black-and-white photograph of the two men taken in what appeared to be a backstage area either before or after a performance of the iconic heavy metal band. They held hands as they both smiled for the image.

Dave referenced their relationship which spanned 48 years in one sentence in the caption.

In the 2007 photo, Dave sported short blond hair. He wore a mandarin-styled jacket that appeared to be dark in color. It featured a high neck that touched the back of his hairline. It had elaborate scroll work down the arms, front, and neckline. Underneath, he had a dark button-down shirt with a small polka-dot pattern. He paired that with what appeared to be leather style pants.

Eddie wore his dark hair cut short to his head. He was shirtless in the pic and had a black cord necklace with a silver medallion that lay on his collarbone. He paired that with cargo pants.

In his hands, he held a Fender EVH Wolfgang, which was one of several prototypes of this design of the guitar used on the Van Halen reunion tour with Dave, reported Ground Guitar.

Eddie and Dave had a famously tempestuous relationship over the years. Their tension led to both personal disputes and iconic music. The two met when Eddie and his brother Alex auditioned singers for their band in 1972. Reportedly, the siblings were not a fan of Dave’s grandiose attitude, but they liked his sound system, so they asked him to join.

In an interview with Marc Maron in 2019, as heard on Mixcloud, Dave remarked that the two always had creative differences. He said that he and Eddie had their issues but called their relationship akin to cowboy movies where the guys are always sabotaging each other but, at the same time, working together to accomplish something.

Fans added their own comments to the post.

“You two changed the world,” noted one fan of how Van Halen inspired many other fledgling musicians.

“You and Eddie wrote the soundtrack of my youth.. thank you,” wrote a second fan.

“I’m sorry, Dave. My heart is broken, and I’ll be forever grateful for the music you created together. It was magic,” penned a third Instagram user.

“I still can’t believe it. Rest in peace to the greatest guitarist that ever lived,” stated a fourth admirer.