This one is a shocker. Eddie Van Halen was only 65. He died of throat cancer. TMZ has the details.
I saw him in concert twice. The first time was in Ludwigshafen, Germany in 1980. Van Halen II had just come out. My hearing never recovered. The second time was at Farm Aid. That was the first time Sammy & Eddie played together in public.
For my generation, Eddie was the gold standard of rock and roll guitarist. Every other guitarist of the era considered him the best.
Here's a little sample...
