Brad Paisley paid tribute to Eddie Van Halen with a clip of himself on stage with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Guns ‘N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan and actor Will Ferrell, who is dressed up like Van Halen’s original lead singer, David Lee Roth, as they performed “Hot for Teacher.”
“I loved everything about the fire and style he brought to the guitar. I studied him, heck everybody did, we all wanted to play just like him. But no one did it quite like him,” Paisley states. “Thank you Eddie for being a pioneer. It’s unimaginable what the guitar would be without you.”
Van Halen had been suffering from cancer for the past decade and had gone into remission in 2002 and was re-diagnosed in 2011. His son, Wolfgang announced Eddie’s death on Tuesday, October 6th at the age of 65.
Watch a video of the complete “Hot for Teacher” performance by Paisley and the other superstars below.
What is your favorite song from Van Halen?