Eddie van Halen is regarded as one of the greatest guitarists in rock history, and was well known for popularising the tapping guitar technique. He was guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he founded with his brother Alex in 1972.
Eddie van Halen was born as Edward Lodewijk van Halen in Amsterdam on 26 January 1955. He died of a stroke in Santa Monica on 6 October 2020, aged 65. He is the son of Eugenia van Beers (1914-2005) and pianist Jan van Halen (1920-1986). The family emigrated the the USA in 1962.
Eddie’s paternal grandparents are butcher Hermanus van Halen (1881-1960) and his wife Jannetje Berg (1883-1958). Eddies's paternal great-grandparents are ship carpenter Hermanus van Halen (1840-1924) and his wife Jacoba Maria Kamermans (1841-1916).
Eddie's paternal great-great-grandparents are Jan van Halen and Hermina Beekman (1814-1888) who both originated in Dordrecht, Holland. They were married there on 25 May 1838. Jan van Halen died on 20 February 1893 in Den Helder, Holland, at the age of 77. Jan was born in Dordrecht on 22 May 1815 as son of an earlier Jan van Halen and his wife Dina Lengton.
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Jan van Halen and Dina Lengton were married on 26 May 1798 in Dordrecht. Jan was assisted by his father Wouter van Halen. His bride was assisted by her mother Elisabeth Blekston. |
The elder Jan van Halen was born in De Mijl, and baptised in nearby Dordrecht on 12 January 1772. Jan married Dijna Lengton on 26 May 1798 in Dordrecht. Dijna was baptised on 16 May 1775 in Dordrecht as daughter of Jacobus Lengton and Elisabeth Isaaks Blekston (1749-1819), a member of the Blackstone family in Dordrecht. Dijna died, aged 71, on 4 September 1846 in Dordrecht. Jan van Halen had died there on 21 February 1845, aged 73. Jan's death certificate mentions his parents Wouter van Halen and Johanna de Visser.