Eddie Van Halen, the guitar virtuoso whose blinding speed, control and innovation propelled his band Van Halen into one of hard rock's biggest groups, passed away at 65. He was suffering from cancer. He fuelled the unmistakable fiery solo in Michael Jackson's hit 'Beat It' and became elevated to the status of rock god.
With his distinct solos, Eddie Van Halen fuelled the ultimate California party band and helped knock disco off the charts starting in the late 1970s with his band's self-titled debut album and then with the blockbuster record 1984, which contains the classics 'Jump', 'Panama' and 'Hot for Teacher'.
Van Halen is among the top 20 best-selling artists of all time and the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. Rolling Stone magazine put Eddie Van Halen at No 8 in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists.
