A number of celebrities including Motley Crue, Aerosmith, Goo Goo Dolls, Nickelback, Questlove, Jimmy Kimmel, and Kenny Chesney pen tribute following the death of the Van Halen rocker.

• Oct 7, 2020

AceShowbiz - Musicians Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, and Lenny Kravitz are leading the tributes to rock legend Eddie Van Halen following his death from throat cancer.

The Van Halen frontman passed away on Tuesday (06Oct20), aged 65, and his celebrity friends and fans were quick to salute his memory on social media.

Sixx was among the first to comment on the tragic loss, tweeting, "Crushed. So f**king crushed. RIP Eddie Van Halen. You changed our world. You were the Mozart of rock guitar. Travel safe rockstar."

"I just found out that my guitar hero Eddie had passed away. I have fond memories of the tours we did together! He's up there shredding!!!! RIP my friend," added Sixx's Motley Crue bandmate Neil. "Legendary guitar and musical innovator Edward Van Halen. 1955-2020. Heaven will be electric tonight," posted Kravitz while KISS' Gene Simmons wrote, "My heart is broken. Eddie was not only a Guitar God, but a genuinely beautiful soul. Rest in peace, Eddie!"

Simmons' bandmate, Paul Stanley, was equally as saddened by their pal's passing, "Oh NO! Speechless. A trailblazer and someone who always gave everything to his music. A good soul. I remember first seeing him playing at the Starwood in 1976 and he WAS Eddie Van Halen. So shocked and sad. My condolences to (son) Wolfie and the family."

"Blessed to have known him just a little. Trust me, with a man of his genius, it was enough. Sparks flew when he played...," The Smashing Pumpkins star Billy Corgan posted as Billy Idol shared, "Rest in peace guitar legend Eddie Van Halen... We will miss you. #f**kcancer."

Heavy metal star Sebastian Bach admitted he was still reeling from the January death of Rush drummer Neil Peart as he mourned, "Eddie Van Halen and Neil Peart were just too good for 2020. We all are. My heart is broken," and Tom Morello wrote, "Apex talent. An unparalleled titan in the annals of rock n roll. One of the greatest musicians in the history of mankind. Rest In Peace, King Edward."

Keith Urban shared a long post, noting Van Halen's death "hit me hard. There are lots of great guitar players in the world but VERY few true innovators…" He concluded it, "WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!"

Other tributes also poured in from Aerosmith, Goo Goo Dolls, Dokken, former Black Sabbath star and fellow rock guitar great Tony Iommi, Boy George, Nickelback, Bret Michaels, John Mayer, The Pretty Reckless singer Taylor Momsen, Flea, Kenny Chesney, Ron Sexsmith, Thomas Dolby, hip-hop star Questlove, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, and actors George Takei, Josh Gad, Darren Criss, Corey Feldman, and Hailee Steinfeld, while "Star Wars" icon Mark Hamill had a special message for Van Halen's son, Wolfgang.

"So sorry for your tragic loss @WolfVanHalen, but take solace in knowing that he will be long remembered and live on forever as one of Rock's most extraordinary guitar virtuosos," Hamill tweeted, before offering condolences to Wolfgang's mother and Eddie's ex-wife, actress Valerie Bertinelli, and "the entire Van Halen family."

Bertinelli, who was married to Eddie from 1981 to 2007, has yet to directly comment on the guitar great's death, but she did repost Wolfgang's tribute to his father, which confirmed his passing, on her social media pages, and added a string of broken heart emojis.

Meanwhile, Eddie's former Van Halen bandmate Sammy Hagar offered up a photo of himself and the late guitarist on Instagram and added the caption, "Heartbroken and speechless. My love to the family."