Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty ; Kevin Mazur/Getty
Wolfgang Van Halenis the only son ofVan HalenfrontmanEddie Van Halenand Golden Globe- winning actressValerie Bertinelli.
“He was the best father I could ask for,” the devoted son wrote on Twitter to announce his father’s death. “Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift. My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever recover from this loss.”
Wolfgang has followed in his father’s footsteps and is an accomplished musician. He spent 14 years playing alongside hisHall of Fame rocker dadin Van Halen and now performs as the frontman ofMammoth WVH, the one-man rock band he formed in 2020. In 2022, he received hisfirst-ever Grammy nominationfor his song “Distance.”
While being a rockstar might be in his genes, Wolfgang has worked hard to carve his own path and get to where he is today.
“Everything that I do in music is for [Eddie], so I just do the best I can and make sure I try to make him proud in everything I do,” he told PEOPLE at the 2022Grammy Awards.
Here’s everything you need to know about Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen.
He’s named after Mozart
Valerie Bertinelli Instagram
Van Halen and Bertinellimet backstageat a concert in 1980, when they were both at the height of their careers. After tying the knot the following year, Bertinelli gave birth to Wolfgang on March 16, 1991, in Santa Monica.
His unique name was chosen as a nod to Van Halen’s favorite composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who remains a point of reference for both father and son. When asked about his father’s legacy in November 2020, Wolfgang toldEntertainment Tonight, “I think he’s the Mozart of our generation.”
He is an accomplished musician
Wolfgang Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen.Kevin Winter/BMA2015/Getty
A talented bassist, Wolfgang joined Van Halen at just 15 years old. He and his dad shared the stage together from 2006 until 2020 when the group disbanded following Eddie’s death. In 2021, he accompaniedGuns ‘N’ Roseson tour for a few shows and released his debut self-titled albumMammoth WVH.
Wolfgang performed all the instruments and vocal tracks for the album, and although he does employ a live band during concerts, Mammoth WVH is still a very personal project for him. “This is just something for me,” he toldOverdrive. “It’s a sacred experience for me. It’s my project, and an artistic outlet for me and my mental well-being.”
When it comes to live performances, Wolfgang often finds himselfchanneling his famous dad’s moves. “There’s been a handful of moments though, where I’ve done something, and then I realize like, ‘Oh s—, dad used to do that all the time on stage,’ " he told PEOPLE in January 2022. “And I realized maybe the way he moved or the way he smiled when he played something, I was like, ‘Oh, f—, he would do that all the time.’ "
Wolfgang might emulate his dad on stage, but heisn’t interested in recording covers of classic Van Halen songs.
“[My dad is] the reason why I do what I do. I wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for him. I think just doing what I do is enough of a reference and tribute,” the rocker said during an interview for Audacy Check In. “I don’t have to play ‘Panama’ in order to respect him, you know what I mean?”
While Wolfgang pays homage to his father with his music, he’s also recognized his mother with his art. He included her inthe music videofor his single “I’m Alright,” which was released in August 2023. In the video, Bertinelli plays a grumpy woman checking acts in for a Battle of the Bands competition.
He married Andraia Allsop in October 2023
Christine Skari Photography
Wolfgang and Andraia Allsopwed on Oct. 15, 2023, at their home in Los Angeles. 90 guests were in attendance and the couple honored Wolfgang’s late father with an empty chair at the ceremony.
“Our goal was just to bring all of our closest family and friends together,” Allsop told PEOPLE. “The past few years, not only with the world, but also with personal tragedies, haven’t been the easiest, but we wanted to create this wedding as a celebration not only just for us to get married, but a celebration for the people we love.”
Wolfgang and the software engineer/photographer have been together since 2015. The musician eventuallyproposed in July 2022.
“She said yes!! ❤️❤️❤️,” Wolfgang captioned a photo of Allsop showing off her engagement ring. Bertinelli commented on the post, “How do I ❤️ this a million times? So happy!!!!!!!”
He wrote his Grammy-nominated song about his father
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Wolfgang’sdebut single, “Distance,” was released in November 2020, shortly after Eddie’s death. The young artist also released an emotional music video that featured home videos of the father-son duo. The track reached No. 1 on both the MediaBase and BDS Active Radio Charts, and it was later nominated for best rock song at the2022 Grammy Awards.
The song serves as a tribute to the late rock star and was written while Eddie “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,” Wolfgang said in a statement at the time. “While the song is incredibly personal, I think anyone can relate to the idea of having a profound loss in their life.”
Wolfgang celebrated the song’sone-year anniversaryin November 2021, sharing an emotional post about its success on Instagram.
“It’s a special song for two very important reasons. A song commemorating my Pop and our bond, as well as being the very first Mammoth release. It marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life in more ways than one,” he wrote of the track. “I never could’ve imagined the overwhelming outpour of responses from something so close to my heart. It blew me away.”
He added, “I hope you’re watching and I hope you’re still proud, Pop. I love and miss you more than you could ever know ❤️.”
He helped convince his dad to go to rehab
Wolfgang Van Halen Instagram
By age 16, Wolfgang had already experienced more than the ordinary teenager.
In 2007, the same year that his band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Eddie was struggling privately. He checked into rehabin March 2007 and told fans he was working on himself “so that in the future I can deliver the 110 percent that I feel I owe you and want to give you.”
Reflecting back on the experience, Wolfgang toldRolling Stonethat he had a key role in convincing his father to enter a facility. “That’s why I was there in the band in the first place,” he told the outlet. “I wanted him to be as healthy as possible … so when the opportunity came, he was like, ‘Fuck yeah, whatever we got to do.’ "
“I experienced a lot of life really fast,” the young rocker explained, adding that he “had to mature very quickly in order to handle (…) everything that was being thrown at me early on in my life.”
He’s very close with his mother
Kevin Mazur/Getty
Wolfgang added of their close-knit relationship, “My girlfriend and I pretty much go over to my mom’s house every day to see her and play with her cats that we love.”
“I think a lot of people don’t understand how sarcastic our relationship is,” he continued. “One time, she burnt onion rings. And it’s like, she has a cooking show, so I just made fun of her for it. I asked her if I could post it. We get in GIF battles all the time on Twitter. Sarcasm is a language, And that’s how we communicate!”
Bertinelli went as one of her son’s dates to the 2022 Grammys. Of his first-ever nomination, the proud mom told PEOPLE on the red carpet, “There’s only one other person that would be prouder than me. And that’s pretty impossible, butit would be Ed.”
In May 2023, Bertinelliposted on Instagramabout appearing on Wolfgang’s Sirius XM show,Top of the Pack. She shared a picture of herself grinning while her son stood next to her, looking blankly at the camera. “Can’t you tell how much Wolfie loves it when I come on his show? 😂,” she wrote in the caption.
He named his band after Van Halen
Michael Buckner/Getty
In addition to his first single, Wolfgang’s band name, Mammoth WVH, is also a tribute to his late father and his legacy.
Eddie and Alex Van Halen first began performing as a threesome with bassist Mark Stone under the name Mammoth before changing the band’s name to Van Halen.
“Growing up I was like, whenever I have my own band, I want to call it Mammoth,” Wolfgang toldRolling Stone. “I was nervous, I asked for his permission. I was like, ‘Hey Dad, I got a question: Would it be cool if I called the band this?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, why would you worry about that?’ He was really stoked.”
In June 2023, Mammoth WVH released the song “Take a Bow,” on which Wolfgangplayed Eddie’s iconic Frankenstein guitar.
“It’s officially the longest song I’ve released to date, and I feel the guitar solo is really special. I played the solo on the original Frankenstein guitar and through Dad’s original Marshall head and one of the original cabinets,” he told Guitar.com. “It’s straight up what he used on the earliest Van Halen records. It makes me happy to capture some of Dad’s history on this song forever.”
He continues to pay tribute to his dad
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
In January 2024, Wolfgang celebrated what would have beenEddie’s 69th birthday.
“I wish you were here so I could give you a big hug, go to dinner, celebrate it with you and make a dumb joke about it being your 69th birthday,” he wrote on Instagram. “Just regular s—. I miss hearing you laugh. I miss laughing with you. It’s the little things.”
Wolfgang continued: “I’ll do my best to keep a smile on my face and think of you today. But then again, that’s not very different than any other day so far without you. I love and miss you more than you could ever possibly know.”
source: people.com
