Eddie Van Halen was first diagnosed with cancer in 2001, and he was declared cancer-free in 2002 after getting part of his tongue removed. He was then able to resume his normal life and toured with Van Halen twice more. However, TMZ reported that the rock star had been secretly flying back and forth between Germany and the United States for treatment for about five years prior to his death. TMZ also reported Eddie was hospitalized in November 2019 due to "intestinal issues and abdominal pain" caused by a poor reaction to his cancer medications.
While fans longed for another Van Halen reunion, original lead singer David Lee Roth was not too optimistic about the thought, following rumors of Eddie's declining health. "I don't know that Eddie is ever really going to rally for the rigors of the road again," he told the New York Times in the summer of 2020.
Ironically enough, Eddie told Billboard that his passion may have also been his downfall. "I used metal picks — they're brass and copper — which I always held in my mouth, in the exact place where I got the tongue cancer," he explained in 2015. "Plus, I basically live in a recording studio that's filled with electromagnetic energy."
While his passing is tragic, it seems that Eddie Van Halen lived a life he loved and was surrounded by those who loved him until the end.
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