Many knew that Eddie Van Halen had been battling cancer for years, but few knew the extent of the disease. So when his health hit a "rapid decline" days before his death, people were shocked.
The iconic music legend died on Tuesday at age 65. It was confirmed that Van Halen had succumbed to cancer but little else was said. Now sources have revealed to People that the rocker's cancer was serious and that his health took a sudden turn for the worse shortly before his death.
"He had throat cancer for years but it spread — it was in all his organs," an insider told the outlet. "The last three days it was a rapid decline. Sadly, the hard-partying lifestyle physically takes its toll on you eventually."
Another source added that, while "everybody knew that he had cancer," many were not aware of how severe the disease was.
"He's had it for years but nobody knew it was this serious," the insider said.
Knowing he was ill, Van Halen's family were extra cautious around him during the coronavirus pandemic.
"During the quarantine, everyone around Eddie was even more cautious about his health and his family truly protected him," the first source explained.
The second insider said Van Halen's son, Wolf, whose nickname is Wolfie, would be hit the hardest by the death.
"He and Wolfie were incredibly close," the source said. "It's a huge loss to his son in particular because they were so tight."
Wolf announced his father's death on Tuesday in a heartfelt Facebook post.
"He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift," he captioned a black and white photo of Van Halen. "My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss. I love you so much, Pop."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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