More than two months after the tragic passing of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen, his official cause of death has been revealed. While his widely reported battle with cancer was an underlying cause, the immediate cause of death was a stroke.
According to his death certificate, as obtained by TMZ, there were a number ailments that led to the Van Halen guitarist’s passing. The immediate cause is listed as cerebrovascular accident, which is the medical term for a stroke. Among the underlying causes were pneumonia, which he had for one month; myelodysplastic syndrome (a bone marrow disorder), which he was afflicted with for five months; and lung cancer, which he battled for three years.
Additionally, in a section titled “Other Significant Conditions”, it was also revealed that Eddie had squamous cell carcinoma (skin cancer) on his head and neck, and an atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rate).
The death certificate also revealed that Eddie Van Halen was cremated and his ashes were given to his son, Wolfgang Van Halen. TMZ further reports that it was Eddie’s wish to have his ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Malibu.
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In the weeks since Eddie’s passing on October 6th, tributes have poured in from all over the music community. Such fellow guitar legends as Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, and Angus Young all honored their fallen comrade, as did all of his bandmates in Van Halen throughout the years.
Recently, three of Eddie Van Halen’s guitars sold for a total of $422,000 at auction, much to the dismay of Wolfgang, who felt that the sellers were capitalizing on the music icon’s passing.
