In a recent conversation on All There Is with Anderson Cooper, Alex Van Halen explained why he always supported Eddie during band disagreements.
“At the end of the day, when there is a disagreement within the band, I am taking his side as a wise person because we protect each other,” the drummer shared. “That was the most important thing we had talked. Stick together.”
Alex posted this excerpt from his CNN interview on Instagram with the caption, “Family first.”
During the same conversation, Van Halen discussed his brother Eddie’s death and how it caught him off guard. He said, “None of us really thought he was gonna die. He’d always bounced back. He had the most incredible DNA that I’ve ever seen in anybody.”
He continued, “He could do more and more drugs than anybody and still wake up the next day and perform. I don’t think anybody really thought he was gonna die. So when he passed, it was really a shock.”
“I don’t think he knew [he was dying]. Being human, you think you’re gonna go on one more day, one more day. You keep going forward. But then one day you don’t. So up to the very end, we were still making music and we talked about, what are we gonna do next year? But it was clear that he was going downhill,” Alex added.
Alex revealed that he is still grieving and gets emotional when he listens to Eddie’s music. Eddie Van Halen passed away on October 6, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alex couldn’t spend much time with his brother, but he was with him when Eddie passed.
Alex’s new memoir, ‘Brothers,’ is a tribute to Eddie. The book was released in late October.
