Guitar legend Eddie Van Halen dead at 65 from cancer

May 17,2015 file photo of Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen onstage during the 2015 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. The iconic guitarist of Van Halen, has died from cancer at the age of 65. His son Wolfgang confirmed the news in an Instagram post. Photo: AFP

Eddie Van Halen, the pioneering guitar player whose hard-rocking band emerged from the Sunset Strip music scene in Los Angeles in the early 1970s to stand at the top of rock 'n' roll for a decade, died of cancer on Tuesday. He was 65.

Van Halen's death was announced by his 29-year-old son, Wolfgang, a bass player who joined the band, best known for songs like Jump and Ain't Talkin 'Bout Love, in later years.