Eddie Van Halen went from looking like the Wicked Witch of Rock:
To Ray Liotta:
Check out this cancer weirdness. Rock n’ Roll baby!
During the late 1990s Eddie Van Halen was treated twice for tongue and mouth cancer. During an interview with Howard Stern on September 8, 2006, Eddie claimed that holding a metal pick in his mouth 12-14 hours per day while immersed in the electromagnetic radiation of his music studio caused his tongue cancer. He said he continues to smoke because “cigarettes didn’t cause the cancer”,[15] despite the fact that they could in fact contribute to the cancer’s potential for resurgence.
Eddie also revealed that he stopped the cancer via an illegal method (the nature of which he declined to specify) in conjunction with a pharmaceutical lab with which he’s affiliated in New York state. He said a portion of his tongue was removed and experimented on, and then the technique was performed on him. He said he has lost one third of his tongue, though his speech is virtually unaffected. Despite his battles with oral cancer, Eddie has been photographed in public as recently as June 2006 smoking cigarettes.
And for no reason at all, here’s a couple more excellent pix:
Is the 1234 thing supposed to be a picture or is that some reference that I don’t get?
Glad the show was good, I am seeing them in Providence a week from Sunday, my first time seeing any incarnation of VH. (I turned down opportunities during the Hagar and Cherone periods hoping for a Roth reunion someday) I am like so totally wicked pumped and excited.