Eddie Van Halen: Sports World Mourns Van Halen Rocker's Death

Eddie Van Halen died at the age of 65 on Tuesday. He was a legendary guitarist and one of the founders of the famous rock group Van Halen, and it led to many sports stars paying tribute to him. Van Halen was battling throat cancer at the time of his death, and his son addressed the news on social media.

"He was the best father I could have ever ask for," his son Wolf Van Halen wrote. 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. I love you so much, Pop." Van Halen is considered one of the best rock groups of all-time. Eddie and Alex Van Halen. From 1974 to 1985, the group consisted of the Van Halen brothers, vocalist David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony. In 1985, Roth was replaced by Sammy Hagar, and the group reached new heights, releasing four U.S. No. 1 albums in 11 years. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

In an interview with Billboard magazine in 2015, Eddie Van Halen explained how he got cancer. "I used metal picks — they're brass and copper — which I always held in my mouth, in the exact place where I got the tongue cancer," he said at the time. "Plus, I basically live in a recording studio that's filled with electromagnetic energy. So that's one theory. I mean, I was smoking and doing a lot of drugs and a lot of everything. But at the same time, my lungs are totally clear. Here's a look at some of the notable sports figures paying tribute to Van Halen.