What You Didn't Know About Eddie Van Halen's Son

Legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen has died from throat cancer at the age of 65. Van Halen's only son, the 29-year-old Wolfgang was clearly close with his father, as a son, friend, and bandmate. According to the fansite Van Halen News Desk, Eddie always had plans to incorporate Wolf into Van Halen - although he also always wanted his son to take whatever path he chose. It turns out the songwriter was right, as Wolfgang began appearing with Van Halen in 2004 when he was just 13. Wolf's mother is actress and celebrity cook Valerie Bertinelli, who loves her son so much that the display name for her popular Instagram account is, adorably, "Wolfie's Mom." Bertinelli, who found fame playing Barbara Cooper on One Day at a Time, and Eddie Van Halen were married when she was just 20 years old and stayed together until 2001. Wolfgang was named after the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. And Van Halen's famous song "316" commemorates his birthday, March 16. Wolfgang claimed he had no idea he had famous parents at first. It wasn't until he started picking up CDs and saw pictures of his father that he realized his dad was actually a rock star. Later, when Bertinelli's son began playing bass with the band, she admitted she wasn't a huge fan of the idea. But there probably wasn't much Bertinelli could do to stop Wolfgang from performing on stage with his dad. According to iHeart Radio, he was playing drums by age 9, and could figure things out by ear on the keyboard. He then picked up guitar two years later. While Wolf was clearly close with his dad, he also seems to have a heartwarming relationship with his mom. He appeared on several episodes of her cooking show, Valerie's Home Cooking. During one episode, she prepared her son's favorite meal: pasta e fagiolo , turkey meatloaf, roasted broccoli rabe, and pumpkin pudding. Yum! About her son, Bertinelli has expressed that being his mom means she can say, quote, "That I know how to do something right." There's no doubt she is supporting her son as he mourns the loss of his dad. In response to his Instagram announcement of Eddie's passing, she posted a long line of broken heart emojis. Here's wishing Wolfgang and his family some peace during this very difficult time. #EddieVanHalen #VanHalen