What else could we say that hasn’t been said already? Let’s dive right into the music first…

Earlier this week, we learned of the passing of Eddie Van Halen.

And perhaps the world of Rock & Roll guitar playing will never be the same. Here is what some consider to be the pinnacle of EVH on a 1 minute and 42 second guitar solo for the song Eruption.

Eddie was born Edward Lodewijk van Halen in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The family relocated to the United States when he was 7. Eddie and his brother Alex both to play the piano at a young age. His parents wanted them both to be classical pianists! And you can hear the classical music influences in much of his solo work, including Eruption.

The brothers formed the band Van Halen in 1974 and the rest is history. EVH heavily influenced the rock of the coming decades with his innovative “tapping” style, his signature “brown” sound, and the entire band’s flashy reputation. And of course, there’s always the story of the brown M&Ms, which is a great read.

Read more about Eddie Van Halen.

• Eddie Van Halen Broke the Guitar Solo – Slate.com
• Eddie Van Halen, Virtuoso of the Rock Guitar, Dies at 65 – NYTimes.com
• Eddie Van Halen dies at 65 after cancer battle – CNN.com

Updates as of 10/28:

• Eddie Van Halen: The Joy and Pain of Rock’s Last Guitar Superhero – Rolling Stone