Wolfgang Van Halen has nothing but appreciation for an southern California-based artist who painted a 17-foot-tall, 105-foot-long mural of his father, Eddie Van Halen, that was unveiled this past Tuesday on what would have been Eddie's 66th birthday.
"I want to extend my most heartfelt gratitude to the unfathomably talented [Robert Vargas] and [Guitar Center] for the painting of this incredible mural of my father at Guitar Center Hollywood," Wolfgang wrote via social media. "What an incredible honor it is to see Pop immortalized in such a beautiful way."
Vargas, a lifelong Van Halen fan, was so moved by the news of Eddie's death that he offered to paint the mural for free. He noted that the Sunset Strip, where the store is located, was Van Halen's home base in the '70s, where the band first began to garner a local following.
"[Eddie] influence me over the years in so many different," Vargas said in a statement. "As soon as the news hit of his passing, I knew I had to do something creative to memorialize him, and Guitar Center was the obvious venue. Right here on the Sunset Strip, where the band made their bones — I can't think of a better place for this tribute to him, and I thank Guitar Center for giving me the canvas to share it with the world."
The Eddie Van Halen mural at the rear of the store joins one of Jimi Hendrix, located on the other side of the building. Guitar Center category manager Jean-Claude Escudie noted that the company has Eddie to thank for much of its success.
"Guitar Center saw this first-hand, as generations of lead guitarists have flocked to our stores to try to capture something of what inspires them about Eddie's sound," he said.
Eddie died in a Santa Monica hospital on October 6, after a lengthy struggle with lung cancer and related health problems.
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