Eddie Van Halen‘s son is protecting his father’s legacy.
The young musician, Wolfgang, took to social media on Monday after Sunday’s broadcast of the 2021 Grammy Awards to speak out about the “In Memoriam” segment, which briefly featured the late rocker.
Wolfgang, 29, began his statement by revealing he’d declined an offer from the Recording Academy to perform during the segment, feeling no one “could live up to what my father did for music but himself.”
He continued, explaining that it was his understanding that the segment would feature “bits of songs” that would be performed for the late artists set to be honored.
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“I didn’t realize that they would only show Pop for 15 seconds in the middle of 4 full performances for others we had lost,” he said. “What hurt the most was that he wasn’t even mentioned when they talked about artists we lost in the beginning of the show.”
Wolfgang Van Halen (left) spoke out about his father Eddie Van Halen’s (right) brief tribute during the 2021 Grammy’s ‘In Memoriam’ segment.
(Getty)
The young star said he’s aware that “rock isn’t the most popular genre right now,” but criticized the Academy for being “a bit out of touch” and for seeming to “ignore the legacy my father left on the instrument, the world of rock, and music in general.”
“There will never be another innovator like him,” Wolfgang gushed.
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The Mammoth WVH musician said he isn’t “looking to start some kind of hate parade” and figured his father “would probably just laugh it off and say ‘Ehh who gives a s—?'”
He added that he hopes to get the opportunity to speak with the Academy directly “not only about the legacy of my father, but the legacy of the rock genre moving forward.”
Eddie Van Halen died in October 2020 after battling cancer. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)
Fox News has reached out to the Recording Academy for comment.
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Van Halen died at the age of 65 in October after battling cancer. Wolfgang has been vocal about his father’s impact on himself and on music as a whole.
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The lengthy “In Memoriam” segment also recently came under fire for leaving out late “Glee” star Naya Rivera, who recorded and released the song “Sorry” in 2013.
