# Old Father Time v. Eddie Van Halen **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170 "2007-01-08T17:47:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Subway\_Prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Subway\_Prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subway_Prophet)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/1 "2007-01-08T17:47:18Z")
…And it [looks](http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=02e69a7f-e2b6-46aa-a87f-13f3fad60519&k=19556)like Ed is losing the battle. (Picture in the article.) This guy’s only 52, and he looks 80. Didn’t he have something going with cancer? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/2 "2007-01-08T17:52:21Z")
He was a heavy drinker for decades - don’t know if he is clean now, but that problem was a big factor in his divorce, IIRC. He also smokes and had throat/tongue cancer. Not sure of the status, but believe he had surgery and is in remission - not sure if he still smokes. He had to have hip replacement surgery, too, IIRC - I think it was due to being drunk on stage and throwing his body around when he was younger and “not feeling any pain”… But yeah, he hasn’t necessarily taken good care of himself. _sigh_ - he was a huge guitar hero of mine back in the day… ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/3 "2007-01-08T17:56:11Z")
Yeah, Eddie’s a mess these days. If I saw him walking toward me on the street, I’d probably mistake him for a panhandler, and begin to fish around in my wallet for a dollar to give him. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/4 "2007-01-08T17:56:54Z")
Yeah, it’s too bad. The guy was a monster talent. He had a joyous element to his playing that’s rare in the hard rock/metal genres. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/5 "2007-01-08T19:19:39Z")
That pic makes me want to cry. He used to be cute as a button…Poor Eddie. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/6 "2007-01-08T19:28:00Z")
That pic was from one of last year’s Oscar parties. [Here’s the obligatory link](http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=1947000) to the subsequent [Fark.com](http://Fark.com) Photoshop contest titled “What the #$%@ happened to Eddie Van Halen?” ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/7 "2007-01-08T19:32:10Z")
Jeez, that’s an old picture. I realize it’s with a new article, but I saw that maybe year back. It was at Elton John’s Academy Awards viewing party last March. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/8 "2007-01-08T19:41:29Z")
“It ain’t the years, honey, it’s the mileage.” Drug years are like dog years- you age at least 7 to 1… ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/9 "2007-01-08T19:46:53Z")
I read somewhere that he had a third of his tongue cut out, and yes, he still smokes. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/10 "2007-01-08T20:48:49Z")
I blame Valerie Bertinelli. She looks like a sweetheart but scratch that surface and she’s trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/11 "2007-01-08T20:53:33Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] I blame Valerie Bertinelli. She looks like a sweetheart but scratch that surface and she’s trouble. [/QUOTE] When I was 15 I sure would have been prepared to take that challenge…sigh… ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/12 "2007-01-08T21:12:05Z")
I don’t think he looks that bad, for a skinny 52 year-old, who partied in the sun. I know several folks that age who look worse. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/13 "2007-01-08T23:12:00Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] I don’t think he looks that bad, for a skinny 52 year-old, who partied in the sun. I know several folks that age who look worse. [/QUOTE] Let’s get a current picture of Keith Richards and compare. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/14 "2007-01-08T23:16:32Z")
This pic got a lot of attention on the guitar boards when it came out last year. Somebody at that time linked to some pics taken at the same event where he didn’t look nearly as bad. Yeah, he’s a mess but that particular picture makes him look even worse than he really is. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/15 "2007-01-08T23:25:44Z")
I’m sure that Eddie aged prematurely because of his secret resentment at having people in Van Halen not related to him by blood. Now that the last of the outsiders has been purged, with Wolfgang Van Halen taking over the bass slot from Michael Anthony, Eddie will regain his vitality! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/16 "2007-01-08T23:25:59Z")
[QUOTE=Subway Prophet] …And it [looks](http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=02e69a7f-e2b6-46aa-a87f-13f3fad60519&k=19556)like Ed is losing the battle. [/QUOTE] Everybody loses. Eddie just appears to have been knocked out. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/17 "2007-01-08T23:44:32Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] I’m sure that Eddie aged prematurely because of his secret resentment at having people in Van Halen not related to him by blood. Now that the last of the outsiders has been purged, with Wolfgang Van Halen taking over the bass slot from Michael Anthony, Eddie will regain his vitality! [/QUOTE] Aren’t they bringing DLR back? ---
**Author:** ![theater\_in\_a\_crowded\_fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@theater\_in\_a\_crowded\_fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theater_in_a_crowded_fire)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/18 "2007-01-09T00:09:20Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] Aren’t they bringing DLR back? [/QUOTE] That’s the current rumor. They’re supposedly rehearsing for a big summer tour that allegedly is going to include DLR on vocals, if you believe what’s being said on the various fan sites. I’m a huge VH fan (so big that the wife and I have seriously discussed naming our first future child Halen if it’s a girl). Even though I’m not a huge fan of Dave and really prefer the albums done with Sammy I’d love to see that show since I only ever saw them in concert with Sammy. Somebody’s probably already posted this somewhere else, but they announced today they’re on this year’s list of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here’s a link to the story on the [Van Halen Newsdesk](http://www.vhnd.com) ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/19 "2007-01-09T00:16:25Z")
Incidentally, I’m not sure what this says about the current state of his career at the moment and how it will ultimately fit into his _Behind the Music_-type retro-documentary (if there isn’t one already), but I believe he just recently did the soundtrack for a porn movie. (Sorry, I’m at work, so you’ll have to hunt your own links for that one). ---
**Author:** ![Flipstrip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f6c823/32.png) [@Flipstrip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flipstrip)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170/20 "2007-01-09T03:28:11Z")
Here’s a more recent photo of [Eddie](http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/details_pop.aspx?iid=72090921&cdi=0) taken in October 2006. And if you go to [www.guitarworld.com](http://www.guitarworld.com), you can see his recent cover for the magazine at the bottom of the page. It looks very odd. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-father-time-v-eddie-van-halen/387170.md?page=2)