On This Day, Oct. 6, 2020…

Van Halen guitarist and founder Eddie Van Halen died at the age of 65.

The rocker had battled cancer for several years. In 2000 he received treatment for tongue cancer, in 2019 he was hospitalized after battling throat cancer, and he also battled lung cancer

He died of a stroke at a Santa Monica, California, hospital, surrounded by his wife Janie, son Wolfgang Van Halen, ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli, and brother, Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen.

Eddie co-founded Van Halen with his brother in the ’70s, and they, along with frontman David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony, released their self-titled debut in 1978. They went on to release 12 albums with three different frontmen, selling over 80 million records worldwide.

Eddie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Van Halen in 2007.