Alex Van Halen Remembers Eddie’s Final Moment Alive

Alex Van Halen recently reflected on the final days of his brother Eddie Van Halen’s life. Despite Eddie’s prolonged battle with cancer, Alex admitted his passing came as a shock.

During an interview on the All There Is With Anderson Cooper podcast, Alex shared:

“None of us really thought he was gonna die.
“He’d always bounced back. He had the most incredible DNA that I’ve ever seen in anybody. He could do more and more drugs than anybody and still wake up the next day and perform. I don’t think anybody really thought he was gonna die. So when he passed, it was really a shock.”

Alex dismissed the notion that Eddie was aware his time was nearing.

“I don’t think he knew. Being human, you think you’re gonna go on one more day, one more day. You keep going forward. But then one day you don’t. So up to the very end, we were still making music and we talked about, what are we gonna do next year? But it was clear that he was going downhill.”

Eddie passed away on October 6, 2020. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Alex had limited in-person contact with his brother but was present during his final moments. Alex recalled:

“He had a massive stroke. We were in the room with him when he actually took his last breath.
“We just sat there. Everybody was in their own headspace.”

Eddie’s death stood in stark contrast to his vibrant, larger-than-life persona. Alex said:

“All I know is that when he stopped breathing, I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t see anything.
“There were no bells. There were no angels. It stopped. And then the room was empty. That was it. And then they pulled the plug because he was on a ventilator. And that was it. And because of COVID and the restrictions and the rules, they immediately carted the body off and that was it. Then we didn’t see him anymore. [It was] a very uneventful ending to an eventful life. But you know what? He fought it till the very end. I wanna think of Ed’s life in terms of that he never gave up.”

Alex’s Emotional Connection to Eddie’s Music

During the podcast, Alex also spoke about how deeply he’s affected by Eddie’s music, admitting that he still struggles with grief. Alex explained:

“At times, it can be overwhelming, and the more I dwell on it, the more complicated it becomes.
“When I’m alone and I put on a piece of music and I hear [Ed] play, I break down — that’s it — uncontrollably. But knowing what I know about the human body, you just let it happen. Otherwise it will happen in the line at the grocery store. And that wouldn’t look so good.”

Grief, for Alex, often transitions into frustration as he wrestles with the loss and its broader implications. He’s working to reconcile these feelings and come to terms with Eddie’s passing. Alex reflected:

“Ed’s whole life was searching for something.
“I don’t know what it was, ’cause musically we could play anything. Ed, come on. Maybe you could have been here a little longer. But then you realize, I have no control over that. And then maybe it’s not my place to tell him to be here longer. Maybe he knows intuitively that, ‘This is it. I’m done. I’m leaving.’ He was never satisfied. There was always that itch to do something else. So I don’t know. I’m still grappling with some of those things because, to me, it doesn’t make any sense.”