Eddie Van Halen’s son is protecting his father’s legacy.
The young musician, Wolfgang, went on social media on Monday after Sunday’s broadcast of the 2021 Grammy Awards to talk about the “In Memoriam” segment, which briefly introduced the late rocker.
Wolfgang, 29, began his statement by revealing that he declined an offer from the Recording Academy to play during the segment, feeling that no one “could live up to what my father did for music, but himself”.
He continuous, explaining that it was his understanding that the segment would present “pieces of songs” that would be performed for the deceased artists to be honored.
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“I didn’t know that they were going to show Pop for just 15 seconds in the middle of 4 full shows for others that we had missed,” he said. “What hurt most was that he was not even mentioned when they spoke of the artists we lost at the beginning of the show.”
Wolfgang Van Halen (left) spoke about his father Eddie Van Halen’s brief tribute (right) during the ‘In Memoriam’ segment of the 2021 Grammy.
(Getty)
The young star said he was aware that “rock is not the most popular genre at the moment”, but criticized the Academy for being “a little disconnected” and for seeming “to ignore the legacy that my father left on the instrument, the world of rock and of music in general. “
“There will never be another innovator like him,” said Wolfgang.
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The Mammoth WVH musician said he is not “looking to start some kind of hatred stop” and imagined that his father “would probably laugh and say ‘Ehh who cares —?'”
He added that he hopes to have the opportunity to speak directly to the Academy “not just about my father’s legacy, but the legacy of the rock genre in the future”.
Eddie Van Halen died in October 2020 after fighting cancer. (Photo by Daniel Knighton / Getty Images)
Fox News contacted the Recording Academy for comment.
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Van Halen died at age 65 in October, after fighting cancer. Wolfgang talked about his father’s impact on himself and the music as a whole.
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The long segment “In Memoriam” was also criticized recently for leaving out “Glee” star Naya Rivera, who recorded and released the song “Sorry” in 2013.