Eddie Van Halen’s Son Was Asked To Perform Tribute At Grammys — But He Refused

Eddie Van Halen’s son refused an offer to play a tribute to his late father in the In Memoriam section of Sunday night’s Grammy’s.

In an Instagram post on Monday night, Wolfgang Van Halen said he was asked to play the iconic “Eruption”, but declined.

“I don’t think anyone could have lived up to what my father did for music but himself,” he explained.

Fans were outraged during the ceremony when the guitar legend was allotted just 15 seconds of the memorial, which featured footage of him playing and a brief shot of his guitar standing alone on the Staples Center stage.

“It was my understanding that there would be an ‘In Memoriam’ section where bits of songs were performed for legendary artists that had passed,” Wolfgang continued. “I didn’t realize that they would only show Pop for 15 seconds in the middle of 4 full performances for others we had lost.”

“What hurt the most was that he wasn’t even mentioned when they talked about artists we lost in the beginning of the show. I know rock isn’t the most popular genre right now, (and the academy does seem a bit out of touch) but I think it’s impossible to ignore the legacy my father left on the instrument, the world of rock, and music in general. There will never be another innovator like him.”

Wolfgang insisted he was not looking to start “some kind of hate parade”, acknowledging that even his late father would have probably laughed it off and said “Ehh who gives a s—?”

“He was only about the music anyway,” he said on the eve of his 30th birthday. “The rest didn’t matter.”

Wolfgang, who replaced Michael Anthony as Van Halen’s bassist in 2006 at the age of just 15, concluded by saying he would love the opportunity to speak with the Recording Academy, not only about his father’s legacy, but the legacy of the Rock genre moving forward.

Eddie died of a stroke while battling cancer on October 6, age 65.