Eddie Van Halen Dead: Here's How He Inspired QUEENSRŸCHE's Michael Wilton Before Passing

QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton is looking back at the time Eddie Van Halen inspired him to play the instrument.

Over two years after Van Halen died, Wilton sat for an interview with "The Mistress Carrie Podcast" and talked about the late legendary guitarist. According to the musician, the VAN HALEN member made him a guitar player.

He recalled when he was around 17 or 18 when he went to Black Sabbath's "Never Say Die!" tour. Wilton witnessed VAN HALEN perform as the opening for the rock band.

"I think I was up in the 300 section. And they came out with a song... VAN HALEN was on fire, and David Lee Roth was kicking his legs up in the air, and Eddie was doing these... That's when I decided that's what I wanted to do," he went on.

Before Van Halen's death, Wilton had the chance to meet the guitarist several times. He also spoke highly of his impact on his career because the late musician "started it."

The QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist expressed his heartbreak when he learned about Van Halen's death in October 2020. His passing left one of the biggest rock bands in the 1980s without the best guitarist.

Eddie Van Halen's Tribute Concert

In other news, Sammy Hagar spoke up about Eddie Van Halen's tribute concert, which has not happened until now.

He revealed on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation" that he and Alex Van Halen do not talk, although he tried reaching him out. Instead, Alex gave him the silent treatment, causing them to hold up the concert.

"I reached out to Al, and he wouldn't return my call or my email. And so I said, 'You know what? F*ck it. It's not on the top of my list, my agenda. I think Eddie deserves, definitely, a tribute. ... And the whole world would show up, and the whole world would do it," he said, per Ultimate Classic Rock and Culture.

Aside from Hagar's plan, David Lee Roth and Alex already talked to guitarist Joe Satriani and former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted regarding the tour.

Van Halen died at St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica in the U.S. in 2020. The guitarist suffered throat cancer for years before it spread to other organs, including his brain. His son, Wolfgang, confirmed that the patriarch also had lung cancer and a brain tumor.

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Eddie van halen