The guitarist Eddie Van Halen called the epitome of rock: “Full of life”
There aren’t too many artists who can rightfully claim to be the epitome of what rock is all about, mostly for the fear of being labelled as arrogant, but if anyone ought to be able to get away with it, Eddie Van Halen is a prime example.
A master of innovation and with a superlative style, very few guitarists were able to compete with Van Halen at the height of his career, and very few have ever been able to surpass the level of idiosyncratic brilliance that he displayed throughout his career in the years since he began to leave a path for others to take his mantle.
So many other guitarists have looked up to him as an idol, especially those in the hard rock and heavy metal circles, and yet, Van Halen still stands tall as this untouchable master of his instrument and an incomparable source of inspiration for budding artists.
One prime example of this is Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell, a man who was often tipped to become the next big superstar guitarist when he first emerged. Only 16 years old at the time of the band’s debut album in 1983, he was projected to have a long career ahead of him, and the fact that he had come from a lineage of musicians, with his father being the celebrated country guitarist Jerry Abbott, also put him in good standing to reach the highest level.
While he enjoyed two decades with the band, their separation in 2003 was what ultimately led to the tragic circumstances of his death, when an incensed fan murdered him on stage while he performed at a solo show shortly after Pantera’s separation. As heartbreaking as this was for the metal community, it also meant he was never truly able to live up to the heights he could have reached in his later life.
Despite there not having been many occasions where the two crossed paths, Van Halen was a noted fan of Pantera and Darrell’s work, and on the one and only occasion where they were fortunate enough to meet, they instantly formed a rapport built around their mutual interest in each other’s abilities.
Even though they’d only met on this one occasion, Van Halen was asked by Darrell’s family if he could send a replica of his ‘Bumblebee’ guitar so that the late guitarist could be buried with it in his coffin. Van Halen not only obliged to help the grieving family, but went as far as to offer up the original guitar and turn up to the service.
In a eulogy that he made at his funeral, Van Halen said: “Dime was an original. He deserves the original. I’m here for the same reason as everyone else: to give some love back. This guy was full of life. Dime was the epitome, he lived, breathed, and is rock ’n’ roll.”
There couldn’t possibly have been a more special send-off for someone who would have made a suitable heir to Van Halen’s throne, and it’s such a genuinely down-to-earth moment coming from one of the greatest guitarists who ever lived in tribute to another.
