The Eddie Van Halen last photo with Sammy Hagar was taken on November 19, 2004 during the band’s final performance with Hagar in Tuscon, Arizona during “Panama.” You can view the photo below. Van Hagar ended for good after the show, with Eddie and Sammy having a falling out with Sammy being upset with Eddie’s struggles with drugs and alcohol. The two finally reconciled after 16 years in 2020 several months before Eddie died from cancer in October.
The Pasadena City Council recently discussed how best to honor Eddie Van Halen. Ideas included renaming a park, renaming the alleyway Electric Drive, a statue, making his childhood home a landmark, and a monument.
Councilmember Victor Gordo said, “It’s an incredible story for Pasadena to express pride in.”
City manager Steve Mermell said fans want to honor Eddie “to recognize both his local connection to Pasadena, as well as the impact that his artistry had on music. Recognizing Van Halen the band and/or individual members should be considered.”
“With his passing, Eddie Van Halen’s international recognition as a musical artist is noted for the significant impact he had on the Rock & Roll genre and his legacy is a source of hometown pride for the city.”
Van Halen’s former bassist finally reached out to his former drummer yesterday. Joe Bonamassa compared Eddie to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaghan in a new Guitar Interactive interview.
“It’s like losing Stevie [Ray Vaughan] again, and [Jimi] Hendrix. [People] never would associate me being a big Eddie Van Halen fan.”
“When I hear his stuff, especially early stuff, I hear a blues-rock guy that came up with some really inventive, powerful things,” he continued. “I hear the blues in it. I hear a lot of songs — even ‘Hot For Teacher’ and stuff like that — and it’s, like, ‘Let’s do ‘La Grange’ on 80.’
His tone, how clean it was — I can hear the [Eric] Clapton; I can hear the blues. And then he just would take it somewhere else.
“He was tremendously impactful to so many that you just go, there’s pre-Eddie [and then there’s] post-Eddie. That was it. I mean, how many single-humbucker Strats were before 1978? One knob and a bunch of stripes on it. Now there’s millions. That’s one guy. That’s how much he changed the name.”
