Once certified love birds, Valeria Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen endured a rocky end to their marriage after 26 long years together.
Both would go on to remarry after their divorce in 2007, but if reports are to be believed then the candle of their love for one another never really diminished to the point of going out entirely.
Eddie Van Halen, of course, passed away tragically in 2020 after a years-long fight with cancer. Valerie, who went on to marry Tom Vitale in 2011, was left heartbroken by the loss of her ex-husband, and it would appear she has one lasting regret regarding how she said her goodbyes to the father of her only son.
Valerie Bertinelli actually met Eddie Van Halen all the way back in 1980, when her brothers invited her to one of his concerts in an effort to help them get backstage.
Bertinelli agreed to go as she thought van Halen was cute, but she could hardly have guessed how their paths would intertwine moving forward. She managed to get backstage that night with her brothers, and described seeing van Halen up close as love at first sight.
As fate would have it, a mere three days later, Valerie got a phone call. It was Eddie Van Halen, of all people, and he wanted to meet up with her.
Fast forward to April 11, 1981 and, after months of dating, the couple tied the knot, beginning a romance that would survive more than two decades.
In 1990, Eddie and Valerie welcomed a son, Wolfgang – named for the famous composer of the same name – but the couple were plagued by constant rumors suggesting they fought like tom cats behind closed doors.
Yet through it all, the pair stayed together, creating an image that was a big hit with fans across the world.
All told, they stayed by each other’s sides for twenty years, until 2001, when they eventually parted ways after twenty years.
It wasn’t until 2007 that their divorce was officially finalized, and Valerie revealed in 2008 the reason behind their decision to call time on their relationship.
According to Valerie, she and Eddie broke up in part due to alleged infidelities on his part, but the main reason for their separation had to do with their son, Wolfgang. As per reports, the couple found that they no longer acted like they loved one another, and they didn’t want their only child to witness that.
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Years after their divorce, both Eddie and Valerie would go on to remarry. On January 1, 2011, Valerie married financial planner and entrepreneur, Tom Vitale, while Eddie exchanged vows with stuntwoman and wrestling manager Janie Liszewski on June 27, 2009, having been dating her since 2006.
Sadly, van Halen died on October 6, 2020, aged 65, after a long and protracted battle with throat cancer. The news was confirmed by his son, Wolfgang, who took to Twitter to describe his father as the best dad he could ever need.
Prior to his passing, Eddie Van Halen remained tight-lipped concerning his cancer, though he flew regularly to Germany for special treatments. While on one such trip, he reportedly bought ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli a pendant-sized gold bar, and presented it to her on Thanksgiving Day in 2019.
Sources suggest that the gift was van Halen’s way of apologizing for the mistakes he made during their twenty-year marriage, and that Valerie, too, accepted responsibility for some of their issues.
During the last few weeks of Eddie’s life, Valerie was a constant presence at his bedside in hospital, alongside Wolfgang and some of van Halen’s other loved ones. Valerie and Wolfgang are both said to have been there during his final moments of life.
According to AmoMama, van Halen’s last words to the two of them were that he loved them. For Valerie’s part, she reportedly regrets holding back and not getting closer to Halen during the years that he was sick.
Now, both were married to other people at the time, so her hands were fairly tied, but it’s fair to say there was an element of love that survived their divorce and even the following years prior to van Halen’s death.
After his death, Valerie took to Instagram to pay tribute to her ex-husband, saying that he had changed her life “forever”. Months later, she admitted she remembers only the “best” of him, and hopes that his memory will live on through Wolfgang.
I don’t know about you, but I for one miss Eddie Van Halen. He was a truly unique musician, and a fantastic entertainer to boot!
Were you a fan of van Halen’s? If so, let us know your thoughts on the legendary artist in the comments box on Facebook.
Meanwhile, share this article on social media to send love and prayers in Valerie’s direction.
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