Eddie Van Halen Reportedly Cremated, Son Wolfgang to Scatter Ashes

Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen, is reportedly set to honor his father’s final wish. Two months after the legendary guitarist died following a battle with cancer, Van Halen’s death certificate was released, revealing where he is to be laid to rest and the special role his son will play.

Obtained by TMZ, the death certificate noted Van Halen was cremated 22 days after his death, the immediate cause of which was recorded as a stroke. He also had skin cancer on his head and neck. Following the cremation, his ashes were given to his son, Wolfgang, whom Van Halen shared with ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli. Sources told TMZ that the 29-year-old is expected to fulfill one of his father’s final wishes, which was for his ashes to be scattered in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Malibu, California. It is unclear when this will happen or if it already has been carried out.

Van Halen died on Oct. 6 at the age of 65, with his son having confirmed the news. In a post shared to social media at the time, Wolfgang wrote that his father “lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning.” He went on to remember his father as “the best father I could ever ask for” and said, “every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift. My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss. I love you so much, Pop.”

Van Halen had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2017 and told he had six weeks to live. In the years that followed, he traveled between the U. S. and Germany for radiation treatment. In the days leading up to his death, however, Van Halen’s health rapidly deteriorated. His son was by his side the entire time, telling Entertainment Tonight just last month that those final days were “really tough.”

“It just seems like he never got a break,” he said. “Things just kept piling on and piling on. The second he would get a wind, it was one step forward, two steps back. But for the worst situation and experience of my life, it couldn’t have gone smoother. I was very happy I was able to spend every second with him that I could.”

In the weeks since his death, Wolfgang has shared numerous tributes to his father. In November, he released the song “Distance,” which later reached the top spot in the iTunes overall chart. The music video for the song features old home movie footage and ends with his father leaving him a voicemail saying how proud he is of him. Of that ending, the 29-year-old said he “thought that one was a really great way to cap the video off, to really show people how loving of a father he was.”