The son of Eddie Van Halen has opened up on the lasting impact of the guitarist’s death, admitting it “still doesn’t feel real”.
The rock icon passed away in October 2020 after a lengthy battle with cancer, prompting an outpouring of tributes.
Reflecting on his father’s death yesterday (August 12), Wolfgang Van Halen admitted that he is still trying to come to terms with it.
“I’ve had so many dreams lately where Pop and I are just doing normal things and then I realise it’s a dream, stop whatever I’m doing and hug him for as long as I can until I wake up,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I miss the fuck out of him. I can’t believe he’s not here anymore. Still doesn’t feel real. I’m doing my best, Pop (sic).”
Commenting on the post, Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro hailed the tribute as “so beautiful”.
It comes after Wolfgang said back in June that if it wasn’t for the coronavirus pandemic then his late father could have received more treatment and still might be alive.
He told The Washington Post that “in the summer of 2020, instead of standing outside the window of his father’s house to say hello, and instead of sitting by a hospital bed as he slips away, they are on the road together, one last time”.
“The way we figured it, if I were to open for Van Halen, he would come out and play a solo for a song,” Wolfgang said. “That would have been the end-all dream.”
He added: “I will forever loathe COVID and how it was handled because they stole that moment from me.”
Wolfgang is currently supporting Guns N’ Roses on their US summer tour.