Eddie Van Halen, who died of cancer on October 6th, was a gifted musician. He was celebrated for his dexterity and for his contributions to rock guitar. He wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea (like around here), but no one could deny his gifts. He was tremendously talented.
When he passed away, most of what we knew about him was limited to Van Halen and his celebrity marriage to Valerie Bertinelli.
Then we learned that his Dutch father married a woman from Indonesia from a group known as Indos (mixed Asian and European ancestry) and that when the Van Halens moved to the US, Eddie, who was in primary school, was picked on by his classmates.