Who is Wolfgang Van Halen?

SINCE 1972, Van Halen’s name has gone hand in hand with rock and roll.

Notable musician Eddie Van Halen passed away in 2020, but his legacy lives on through his son Wolfgang.

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Wolfgang Van Halen is the son of the late Eddie Van Halen[/caption]

Who is Wolfgang Van Halen?

Born on March 16, 1991, Wolfgang Van Halen is a California native who grew up as both a muse and a collaborator to his father and uncle.

At the age of nine, Alex Van Halen – Eddie’s brother – began to teach Wolfgang how to play the drums.

The following year, he received his first drum set.

Wolfgang then taught himself the guitar, bass, and keyboard.

“Whenever I had the chance, I would always try to sit on my uncle Al’s drum kit and bang away,” Wolfgang said in an interview with Guitar World back in 2012.

“We have some pictures of me up at the studio where I’m only five years old, and I’m attempting to play this ginormous kit.”

He joined the family band for the first time in 2004, appearing on stage with his father for a guitar solo.

Eddie announced Wolfgang would permanently join the group two years later, replacing former bassist Michael Anthony.

Who are his parents?

While on tour in Louisiana in 1980, Eddie Van Halen met Valerie Bertinelli – an award-winning actress.

The following April, the two married.

Valerie gave birth to Wolfgang in 1991, the only child between the two.

She and Eddie filed for divorce in 2005, although they separated years prior.

Eddie remarried in 2009 to his then-publicist Janie Liszewski.

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Was Wolfgang Van Halen nominated for a Grammy?

Wolfgang Van Halen received his first-ever Grammy nomination in 2021 for Best Rock Song.

At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, April 3, 2022, he walked the red carpet with his mother and girlfriend, Andraia Allsop.

Although his song Distance – written as a tribute to his father – lost to the Foo Fighters, Wolfgang shared his gratitude for even being considered.

“Such an honor to be nominated for the first song I ever released on my own, in a category with artists I’ve looked up to my entire life,” he wrote via Instagram, accompanying a photograph of him and his two dates.

“I don’t know if that’ll ever fully set in.”

Wolfgang’s song was also up against Weezer, Kings of Leon, and Paul McCartney.

He continued: “Pop didn’t win the first time he was nominated too, so it looks like I’m following in his footsteps quite nicely.”