Alex Van Halen, older brother of the late Eddie Van Halen, who passed away Tuesday, has issued a heartfelt statement about his sibling's death.
He sent a childhood photo of the two of them to the Van Halen News Desk, an unofficial site with ties to the band, showing himself standing with Eddie behind a toy drum kit.
The note attached, according to the site, read, "Hey Ed. Love you. See you on the other side. Your brother, Al."
It was the first time Alex Van Halen, 67, had spoken about his brother's death from cancer at age 65. Meanwhile, other members of the Van Halen band they played with for decades, along with friends, Eddie's ex-wife, Valerie Bertinelli, and loved ones have also spoken out.
Alex and Eddie had been trained on classical piano as children, and after moving into rock music ended up on drums (Alex) and guitar (Eddie). Both were expert on other instruments, too; Alex began as a guitarist and Eddie took to the drums. After Eddie heard Alex play the drum solo in The Surfaris' "Wipe Out," he decided to switch to the guitar permanently. The two formed Van Halen in the 1970s and went on to sell 56 million albums in the U.S. alone. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
And clearly, Alex was also on his brother's mind. The drummer turned 67 on May 8, and his brother's final Instagram post was dedicated to him:
"Happy Birthday Al!! Love Ya!!" Eddie wrote.
