Eddie Van Halen’s Ex-Wife, Valerie Bertinelli, Posts Tribute To After His Death

Former wife to the late rocker Eddie Van Halen, Valerie Bertinelli, posted a tribute to the deceased guitarist on Twitter. This was only a few short hours after their son, Wolfgang Van Halen, posted his own tribute.

The actress tweeted a black-and-white image of herself holding their child next to the late Van Halen that was taken decades ago when the couple was still young and together. Her caption read, “40 years ago my life changed forever when I met you. You gave me the one true light in my life, our son, Wolfgang… Through all your challenging treatments for lung cancer, you kept your gorgeous spirit and impish grin. I’m so grateful Wolfie and I were able to hold you in your last moments. I will see you in our next life my love.” The last line suggested that Bertinelli was present during Edward’s death at a Santa Monica, California hospital.

The couple married in 1981 and had one child together, then they later divorced in 2007. In her autobiography, Bertinelli indicated the reason for their divorce had to do with Edward’s addiction to cocaine and his continued tobacco smoking. The late Van Halen refused to cease his smoking despite developing cancer and having to lose one-third of his tongue to surgery. Bertinelli later married Tom Vitale, a financial planner, in a wedding ceremony that Edward and Wolfgang both attended.

Bertinelli stars in her own cooking show on the Food Network called Valerie’s Home Cooking. Her dishes and appearances have won two Daytime Emmy Awards as of 2020.