A rocking memorial mural for late Van Halen guitar legend Eddie Van Halen has gone up outside the flagship Hollywood location of Guitar Center. The painting of EVH in mid screaming guitar solo on one of his signature Frankenstrats, mouth agape, is surrounded by his initials in giant VH font.
“In honor of @eddievanhalen‘s birthday, we unveiled an incredible tribute by artist @therobertvargas today at GC Hollywood,” wrote the mega instrument retailer on Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 26) about the 17-foot tall, 105-foot long painting. “This mural celebrates the passion and virtuosity of Eddie’s playing that has and will continue to inspire generations of musicians. Take a closer look in our stories!” Eddie’s son and former bandmate, Wolfgang Van Halen, replied with a pair of heart emoji and a praying hands.
In his own post about the work, Vargas wrote, “Thank you @guitarcenter for teaming up with me to make this happen, and thanks to the many fans around the world that tuned in to watch the progress of my #LongLiveTheKing mural for @eddievanhalen Your collective energy powered me thru to complete this mural that is near to my heart. Also, Much love to everyone of you that stopped by while I was creating this mural. I’m looking forward to bringing you along on my next journey coming soon!”
