The definition of ROCK STAR is David Lee Roth. Period, end of story.

—M. Shawn Crahan

Eddie Van Halen was and is the pinnacle of Van Halen. His guitar playing transcends the boundaries of rock ‘n’ roll guitar, bending all the rules of traditional techniques. His style quickly revolutionized the genre and influenced the next generation of guitar players worldwide.

Not since Jimi Hendrix has there been such an impact on the way rock ‘n’ roll guitar is played. Eddie is one of the greatest guitar players to ever come along.

There’s not much more to say.

—Slash

Van Halen was the first kick-ass rock band, but they weren’t afraid to grow musically and experiment. Songs like “Jamie’s Cryin’” and “I’ll Wait” show they could write more than just rock anthems. Van Halen is the benchmark for the rest of us to achieve.

—James Root

Van Halen changed the rock industry. Not only is Edward far and away the best rock guitarist, David Lee Roth is, hands down, the best frontman in rock history, influencing every aspiring rock band in the world. They are the perfect rock band.

—Kip Winger

Eddie Van Halen and his band of rock ‘n’ roll animals are in my humble opinion the greatest good time, kick-ass rockers of all time. Cheers to an awesome career!

—Erik Turner

I saw them one summer night at the New Haven Coliseum. Dave stopped the show in the middle of a song and asked for all the lights to be turned off. He sat down in the dark and lit a joint that had been thrown onto the stage from someone in the audience. The crowd went absolutely crazy. It was confirmed: I wanted to be a rock star.

—Miljenko Matijevic

The first time I heard about Van Halen was from my uncle who went to a Black Sabbath concert in Austin, Texas. Van Halen was supporting them on that leg. I don’t remember much details, but I do remember him saying, “Van Halen kicked Sabbath’s ass!”

When I was in eighth grade, Diver Down was the rage, and I finally had a taste of it at a friend’s birthday party. It definitely rocked. From the moment “Where Have All the Good Times Gone” began, I enjoyed the guitars and drumming … but mostly I was drawn to the vocals. They were wild, alive and real.

It wasn’t until 1984 that I saw a Van Halen video, “Hot for Teacher.” Being a percussionist, the drum intro blew my mind. Yet it was the antics of David Lee Roth that gave me real appreciation of his talent. In my opinion, David Lee Roth epitomized the frontman of the 1980s. There, I said it.

—Burton C. Bell

The first time I ever met Dave was on the first day of a tour. He was standing there with his back towards me and said, “Hold on, I’ll be right with you.” Then I realized what he was doing. He was peeing in one of my drum cases!

He was Diamond Dave all the time, but once I was sitting on the bus with him and saw him as David Roth. He was working on one of his paintings. He looked at me and said, “Fred, there are three types of people in this world. Muffins, birds and horses. You’re a horse.”

—Fred Coury

For my money, Eddie Van Halen was the first significant new kid on the block. Very dazzling. He played a vital role in keeping kids interested in playing guitar, because they could look up to this cheeky little guy with the big smile.

He flies the flag well, I think.

—Jimmy Page