Wolfgang Van Halen is seething over Reelz’ upcoming episode of its documentary series Autopsy: The Last Hours of …, which focuses on his late father, Eddie Van Halen. The episode is set to premiere this Sunday, June 5th, and Wolfgang is urging people not to watch it while also lambasting those responsible for the show.
Eddie Van Halen died in October 2020, after a long bout with cancer. The immediate cause of his passing was listed as cerebrovascular accident, which is the medical term for a stroke. Among the underlying causes were pneumonia; myelodysplastic syndrome (a bone marrow disorder); and lung cancer, which he battled for three years.
In a tweet on Wednesday (June 1st), Wolfgang shared a news article about the TV show, and wrote, “F**k @ReelzChannel, f**k everyone that works on this show, and f**k you if you watch it. F**king disgusting trying to glamorize someone’s death from cancer. Pathetic and heartless.”
Per Reelz, the official description of Autopsy: The Last Hours of Eddie Van Halen reads as follows:
“On October 6, 2020 the world was shocked by the news that guitar legend Eddie Van Halen had died. A rock prodigy with a boyish charm he was never more comfortable than when he had a guitar in his hand. Known as the founder of Van Halen, the band that became synonymous with California cool, Eddie was actually of both Dutch and Indonesian heritage. His family moved to California from the Netherlands when Eddie was a child. Eddie came to America without knowing English but by the time he was 25 years old his band had sold multiple platinum albums and his innovative guitar techniques cemented him in rock and roll history. But behind his contagious smile there was a darker undercurrent that would plague Eddie throughout his life. As an extremely shy kid Eddie started drinking alcohol at just 12 years old to calm his nerves after seeing his father drink to calm himself and for the next four decades Eddie wrestled with addiction issues. Often relying on alcohol and other substances to maintain his creativity Eddie would spend many years in and out of rehab. He was a workaholic often pushing his body to the limits in order to perform while secretly battling illness. Eddie died at the age of 65 from cancer but if caught early Eddie’s disease had reasonable survival rates so what exactly happened? Now renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter will analyze every detail of his life in order to piece together what else may have been going on in his body, ultimately leading to his untimely death.”
It’s understandable why Wolfgang is furious over the matter. Considering all of Eddie’s ailments, including his battle with cancer, it does seem rather exploitative to turn his passing into a mysterious death.
Following Eddie’s passing, Wolfgang has embarked on a successful solo career. He released his debut album, under the name Mammoth WVH, last year, scoring No. 1 rock hits with the songs “Distance” and “Don’t Back Down.” He recently embarked on US tours with Dirty Honey and Halestorm, and will join Alter Bridge on a European run in the Fall. Tickets to select Mammoth WVH shows are available here.
If you’d like to make your own judgment as to whether to tune in, a preview of Autopsy: The Last Hours of Eddie Van Halen can be seen below, followed by Wolfgang’s aforementioned tweet.
Fuck @ReelzChannel, fuck everyone that works on this show, and fuck you if you watch it. Fucking disgusting trying to glamorize someone’s death from cancer. Pathetic and heartless. https://t.co/84BE5rx81C
— Wolf Van Halen ???? ???? ???? (@WolfVanHalen) June 1, 2022