Valerie Bertinelli is remembering Eddie Van Halen, whom she was married to for 26 years.
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, Valerie and Eddie’s 29-year-old son, Wolfgang Van Halen, revealed on social media that his father had died of cancer. He was 65.
“He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift,” Wolfgang wrote. “My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss. I love you so much, Pop.”
Valerie reposted her son’s heartbreaking message but waited to post her own tribute to her late ex-husband.
“40 years ago my life changed forever when I met you,” she wrote on Twitter. “You gave me the one true light in my life, our son, Wolfgang. Through all your challenging treatments for lung cancer, you kept your gorgeous spirit and that impish grin. I’m so grateful Wolfie and I were able to hold you in your last moments. I will see you in our next life my love.”
The 60-year-old actress married Eddie on April 11, 1981, and they had a son nearly a decade later on March 16, 1991. The two separated in 2001 and were officially divorced on Dec. 20, 2007.
Valerie and Eddie remained amicable following their split and in 2008, she even came to his defense when it was reported that the reason Van Halen had postponed some tour dates was because Eddie was in rehab.
“The reports about him being in rehab are wrong. Eddie is sober,” she said at the time. “He’s being proactive about his illness.”
Valerie added, “I talk to him about every other day. He wants to get back on tour.”
Eddie first received treatment for tongue cancer in 2000, and was declared cancer-free in 2002. In 2019, it was revealed that he had been secretly battling throat cancer for the last five years.
