Valerie Bertinelli Praises Wolfgang Van Halen's Performance With Dave Grohl at Taylor Hawkins Tribute Show

By Stephen Andrew

Valerie Bertinelli is a proud mom, praising her son Wolfgang Van Halen's performance of "Hot for Teacher" with Dave Grohl at the Taylor Hawkins tribute show in the United Kingdom. The big event was held on Saturday, Sept. 3, and included a number of iconic stars, such as Paul McCartney, Travis Barker, and AC/DC's Brian Johnson. For an all-star rendition of the classic Van Halen tune, Grohl brought out Wolfgang and The Darkness singer Justin Hawkins.

Over on Twitter, Bertinelli shared her joy over Wolfgang's involvement, retweeting a video of him playing his late dad Eddie Van Halen's solo from the song, and writing, "WOLFIE KILLED IT." She added, "So proud" of her musical son. The post has received a number of responses from adoring fans, with one writing back, "He was absolutely AMAZING!!! What was going thru your head @Wolfiesmom as you were watching? Can you even put it into words???"

Hawkins died on March 25 — in Bogotá, Colombia — ahead of a concert the Foo Fighters were scheduled to perform. The terrible news of Hawkins' death was first revealed by the band, who issued a statement on social media that evening. "The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins," the statement read. "His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever. Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time."

Sadly, Wolfgang lost his father on Oct. 6, 2020 — at the age of 65 — after the legendary rocker fought a long battle with throat and lung cancer. Eddie had been first diagnosed with tongue cancer as far back as 2000. Not long after his death, Bertinelli mentioned that cancer eventually spread to his lungs. Wolfgang confirmed the news of his father's death in an Instagram post, writing, "I can't believe I'm having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning. He was the best father I could ever ask for."

"Every moment I've shared with him on and off stage was a gift," the 29-year-old went on to write. "My heart is broken and I don't think I'll ever fully recover from this loss." Wolf concluded his statement, saying, "I love you so much, Pop." Eddie was the co-founder, primary songwriter and guitarist for Van Halen, a band that also featured his brother Alex on drums. Wolfgang later joined the band, playing bass and singing back-up vocals, in 2006. He has since stated that Van Halen will not continue without his father.

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