After three of Eddie Van Halen‘s guitars were recently auctioned, his son Wolfgang Van Halen voiced his displeasure on Twitter.
Wolfgang Van Halen, son of Eddie Van Halen — the iconic guitarist who passed in October this year — has expressed his displeasure at three of his father’s guitars being sold at an auction for a combined $422,000.
The three pieces in question are Eddie’s “Frankenstrat”-style guitars. Van Halen reportedly gifted one of these to Bryan Cash after playing it at Cash’s Centenary Oyster House in 1991.
Taking to Twitter to express his disapproval, Wolfgang called the timing of the auction ‘fishy’ and reiterated that he was not involved in the sale whatsoever.
“The headline should read: Three guitars that are striped were sold at an auction for charity. They weren’t stage guitars. I had nothing to do with this. I don’t EVER plan on selling any of my father’s iconic guitars. The only place they’d possibly belong in is a museum.” he wrote.
The headline should read:
“Three guitars that are striped were sold at an auction for charity.”
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They weren’t stage guitars.
I had nothing to do with this.
I don’t EVER plan on selling any of my father’s iconic guitars.
The only place they’d possibly belong in is a museum. https://t.co/npM4TZKWYU
— Wolf Van Halen (@WolfVanHalen) December 3, 2020
After discovering that the auction was not for charity after all, Wolfgang doubled down on his social media, saying: “Also one was a gift. I don’t know who’d want to give that away. Timing is a little fishy to me.” This was reportedly directed at a beneficiary who had sold a guitar that had been gifted to him.
“Oh wait, scratch that. It WASN’T for charity. They’re just taking advantage of my father’s passing. What a surprise. Fuck ‘em.” he went on to say.
Oh wait, scratch that.
It WASN’T for charity.
They’re just taking advantage of my father’s passing. What a surprise.
Fuck ‘em.
— Wolf Van Halen (@WolfVanHalen) December 3, 2020
Eddie Van Halen died at the age of 65 after a long battle with throat cancer, earlier this year. Concerns about his health had been mounting since the start of 2020, when former Van Halen member David Lee Roth clarified that Van Halen had not been doing well.
The news was broken by Wolfgang himself, who wrote for his father: “He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift.”