There is no doubt the name Van Halen will live on forever in Pasadena, but now there’s a stage to prove it.
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In honor of Eddie Van Halen, the Van Halen Stage was recently erected in the guitar legend’s hometown, the same California city where the iconic ’80s band, Van Halen, formed 50 years ago.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Sept. 17, unveiling the memorial pavilion stage at a newly constructed community park and recreation area. A children’s playground and dog run will be among the other permanent fixtures surrounding the stage.
It was initially planned for the stage to be named solely after the late guitarist, however, at the request of his family, it was named after the entire band instead. The guitarist was first honored by his hometown with a memorial plaque after the one-year anniversary of his passing.
Eddie Van Halen passed away on Oct. 6, 2020, after a lengthy battle with throat cancer. Following the news of his passing, tributes to the rock legend poured in from all corners of the music industry.
“Eddie Van Halen was a guitar superhero. A true virtuoso. A stunningly good musician and composer. Looking up to him as a young kid was one of the driving forces in my needing to pick up a guitar,” wrote fellow-guitar powerhouse John Mayer in a heartfelt post.
“Legendary guitar and musical innovator Edward Van Halen.1955-2020. Heaven will be electric tonight,” rocker Lenny Kravitz shared.
“@EddieVanHalen was one of the nicest guys I ever worked with and we shared so many laughs together. His influence on music and especially the guitar has been immeasurable. He was an absolute legend. Eddie, I’ll see you on the other side, my friend,” Ozzy Osbourne wrote in tribute.
The band, Van Halen, was formed in 1972, consisting of Dutch-born, Pasadena-raised brothers, Eddie and Alex Van Halen, along with fellow-Pasadena transplants David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony. The band would go on to define ’80s hard rock.
Revisit Eddie’s legendary guitar chops below.
(Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images)
