Former W.A.S.P guitarist Chris Holmes recently made controversial statements regarding Eddie Van Halen’s battle with cancer and subsequent passing. He shared his perspective in an interview with Rock Interview Series.
Holmes discussed Van Halen’s cancer diagnosis and criticized the legendary guitarist’s decision to continue smoking after his treatment. He also elaborated on the severity of Van Halen’s condition and treatment.
“We when Ed got his cancer, he didn’t have throat cancer. He had cancer in his tongue. Had half some of his tongue cut out. If he would have quit smoking then, he’d be alive today,” Holmes said.
“You know, cuz he kept he they cut they did they got rid of his cancer but cut out had cut like a third of his tongue. He didn’t have to. He almost had to learn to to uh talk again. But anyway, he kept smoking. Dumb. Dumb,” he continued.
Holmes then revealed that he decided to quit smoking after seeing a musician at the NAMM Show using an oxygen tank. The sight made him realize the potential long-term health consequences of smoking, convincing him that the habit simply wasn’t worth the risk.
“You know how you know I quit smoking? I was at the NAMM show probably 14 years ago and I seen this guy walking by with a bottle of oxygen and this the tube come up to his. I go, ‘Hey, who’s that?’ And somebody goes, ‘I think that’s the drummer for Steely Dan.’ And I looked at him and he had the bottle with a tank with the wheels behind him, you know, a little tank. And I’m like, and I looked at I go, ‘Man, if smoking does that to you, it’s not worth it, you know,’” he explained.
