Eddie Van Halen was diagnosed with brain tumour and stage four lung cancer, says son Wolfgang

17 November 2020, 11:14 | Updated: 17 November 2020, 11:30

Wolfgang, the son of the Van Halen legend, revealed his father was told he had "six weeks" to live in 2017. Listen to his emotional tribute single here.

Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang has revealed his later father battled both stage four cancer and a brain tumour.

An outpouring of tributes came from throughout the world of music and entertainment after the Van Halen legend passed away, aged 65, on 6 October this year.

Now, his son has paid tribute to the legendary musician and revealed that he was told he had "six weeks" to live in 2017.

Speaking on The Howard Stern Show he said: "The doctors were like, ‘You have six weeks.'

“Whatever the f*** they do over there, it’s amazing, because I got three more years with him."

Eddie was later involved in a motorcycle accident in 2019, and then got diagnosed with a brain tumour, for which he underwent Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

His son added: “But as time went on, s*** kept stacking up and stacking up. It just never let up.”

Wolfgang - who has played bass in the Jump band since 2007 - also revealed his dad was thrilled about their reunion plans.

He admitted: "That’s important, to let people know, that yeah, that was real, and we were so excited about it. It just didn’t pan out."

WATCH: Foo Fighters share John Lennon and Van Halen mash-up

Meanwhile, Wolfgang has paid tribute to his late father in the music video for his new single, Distance, from his solo band Mammoth WVH's upcoming album.

The promo closes with a touching voicemail left from Eddie to his son.

Watch the video here:

Wolfgang said about the track: "As my pop continued to struggle with various health issues, I was imagining what my life would be like without him and how terribly I’d miss him. While the song is incredibly personal, I think anyone can relate to the idea of having a profound loss in their life."

QUIZ: How well do you know these classic power ballads?