It’s not the same unexpected shock as Chadwick Boseman, because Eddie has had a lot of health problems including the cancer that finally killed him.
But I can’t help but feel that part of my childhood just died. Van Halen music was basically the soundtrack of the time that I spent with Tommy in the early eighties. I didn’t have a large collection of music albums as a kid, but it included a mix of early Van Halen’s records, Women and Children First, Diver Down and 1984. Just last week I picked up the guitar again and finally learned the opening riff from Drop Dead Legs. I have never achieved greatness or even middling success on the guitar, but the riffs from Panama and Unchained are ingrained in my fingers.
I never really got into the later Van Hagar nor into the various reunions and reincarnations of Van Halen (although I always respected the mad father skills of getting his son Wolfgang to replace Michael Anthony on bass when he was old enough). But knowing he’s died makes me feel melancholy. RIP.
Who was Tommy?
Tommy Warr if i’am correct. Get use to performers passing away,I’ve lost most of my favouritesI looked up Brenda Lee and she is just one year younger than me.My list of dead singers would be a mile long, but I still enjoy their music today.
Yes, I know that basically all of the musicians that I grew up with are older than me (duh) and will pass on before I do (hopefully) but this one was particularly early and painful.
Yes, Tom Warr. He had a Gibson Les Paul Junior and always dumbfounded me when he could play Eruption (minus the whammy bar bits).