Honoring Eddie Van Halen

Announcing a special Weekly Challenge in honor of the legendary guitarist.

Last week, we lost a legend. Eddie Van Halen, iconic guitarist of the band Van Halen, passed away at the age of 65 from cancer.

Van Halen continues to be one of the most popular rock acts of all time. His sound was simply iconic: as The Atlantic put it, “He boiled strings, cut vibrato bars in half, put the head of one guitar on the body of another—and created a sound that changed rock forever.”

Reactions after his passing came swiftly. Legends from Metallica’s Kirk Hammet to Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi had nothing but praise for the late rocker.  “He was so humble and so nice. He was just genuinely a great person.”

Rest in peace guitar legend Eddie Van Halen. 💔 We will miss you. #fuckcancer @eddievanhalen #eddievanhalen pic.twitter.com/S4vnN3tyWc

— Billy Idol (@BillyIdol) October 6, 2020

Two of the best hours of my life were spent chatting with Eddie Van Halen. A great musician, yes – also a funny and lovely guy who will be missed terribly. Sending love to Janie, Wolf, Alex & all those who loved him.

— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) October 6, 2020

My heart is broken. Eddie was not only a Guitar God, but a genuinely beautiful soul. Rest in peace, Eddie! …Eddie Van Halen Dead at 65 from Cancer https://t.co/gITtcndQVv

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) October 6, 2020

Former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Mike Anthony also released a video last Thursday paying tribute.

When the news broke, our team acted quickly to honor him with a Weekly Challenge, writing, recording and producing two original songs that, we hope, would make Eddie proud. Eddie, this one’s for you. If you’re on mobile, click here to play it now in the app!