JOHN 5: ‘EDDIE VAN HALEN Was A Modern-Day MOZART’

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Former MARILYN MANSON and current ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 has paid tribute to Eddie Van Halen, who died earlier today (Tuesday, October 6) at the age of 65. The legendary VAN HALEN guitarist's death was confirmed by his son, and VAN HALEN bassist, Wolfgang Van Halen. John 5 said in a statement: "Eddie Van Halen was a modern-day Mozart, and it is just so sad to see him go. He was so young. He is immortal and will live on forever. He was an inventor and the greatest guitar player of all time... The thing is, he took guitar to such new places that no one has done before, and he was just such an incredible player. And on top of all of that, he was an incredible songwriter too. "Anyone who ever picked up a guitar has played a VAN HALEN riff. "Eddie was like someone we all might never again see the likes of in this world — he was that special. "Thank you for changing the world." According to TMZ, Eddie died at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. His wife, Janie, was by his side, along with Wolfgang, and Alex, Eddie's brother and VAN HALEN drummer. The site reports that Eddie's ongoing health battle went massively downhill in the last 72 hours, with doctors discovering his cancer had moved to his brain as well as other organs. There have been a lot of rumors regarding the VAN HALEN guitarist's supposedly worsening health, with TMZ reporting recently that Van Halen has been traveling between the U.S. and Germany for cancer treatment going on several years now. Last November, TMZ reported that Eddie spent several days in a hospital due to complications from his cancer treatment. Sources close to the legendary guitarist told the site he was admitted to the hospital with intestinal issues and abdominal pain, both the result of a bad reaction to the drugs Eddie was reportedly taking to battle throat cancer.