Eddie Van Halen’s Words After Randy Rhoads

Randy Rhoads, mainly influenced by Leslie West, Ritchie Blackmore, Gary Moore, Charlie Christian, and Michael Schenker, had always had a great interest and passion for music. Rhoads founded a band named Little Women, which would later become Quiet Riot, with Kelly Garni when he was only sixteen years old. The young guitarist proved his talent as a musician at a very young age.

The tremendous success and popularity came after Rhoads became Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist, who was in search of starting his solo career with new musicians. In 1979, the other Black Sabbath members fired the singer because of his addiction problems, and it was the beginning of the two musicians’ musical collaboration. Their fans thought it would last many years, but the guitarist’s journey on a plane changed everything.

Randy Rhoads’ Tragic Death

Rhoads took place on Osbourne’s two albums, ‘Blizzard Of Ozz’ and ‘Diary Of A Madman,’ they would probably continue to work together for years, considering their harmony and the guitarist’s performance received very positive reviews from music critics and fans worldwide. However, a tragedy didn’t allow the two musicians to continue performing, which was devastating for the Black Sabbath frontman.

Unfortunately, on March 19, 1982, Rhoads passed away because their plane crashed into the garage of a nearby mansion, bursting into flames. The guitarist was only twenty-five years old and was afraid of flying as if knowing that it might end his life at some point. The guitarist’s unexpected early death shocked his friends, family, and fans. So, let’s check out one of his colleagues’ words about him, Eddie Van Halen.

What Did Eddie Van Halen Say About Randy Rhoads?

A few months after Rhoads’ death, Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen joined an interview, and the reporter wanted him to share his feelings about the late musician. Van Halen stated that he was honest about his style and musicianship by highlighting that Rhoads admitted he learned everything from him. After drawing attention to Rhoads’ interviews about him and being his muse, Van Halen went on talking about the crash.

In Van Halen’s words, he said:

“He was one guitarist who was honest anyway because I read some interviews he did, and Randy said everything he did he learned from me. He was good. God damn, what a way to go. Obviously, the bad date, they must have been f*cked up, the jerking around with a pot with the airplane. It was an accident, but he would definitely f*cked up on what happened.”

In addition, the Van Halen icon said it was a terrible way to die, but the attempts to buzz the tour bus, probably under the influence of some drugs or alcohol, caused his death. According to the guitarist, even though it was a tragic accident, they should have been more careful during their journey. If Rhoads hadn’t died in that incident, they could have had chances to play together or even collaborate on some projects as two talented guitarists.