Normally we don’t do the rumor mill here at Ghost Cult HQ, as some of our brethren at other metal sites do. When it is a monumentally important artist, we listen to new information and try to be respectful. One story we have been tracking is the end of the Van Halen reunion with David Lee Roth, which we broke the news last week of Roth saying definitively the band is done with him. In that same interview Roth gave, he alluded to health issues from Eddie Van Halen being the culprit and even said that Eddie needs to address the public. Now TMZ has reported that Eddie has had a relapse of his throat and tongue cancer that he has battled for the last 20 years. According to a published report, Eddie has been traveling to Germany for routine treatments. In a recent article, Eddie alluded to the fact that he believes he got his initial tongue cancer from holding metal guitar picks in his mouth during his solos like ‘Eruption’, and not from Smoking. One wide-spread report last winter had the band booking a summer tour of baseball stadiums with Foo Fighters, Metallica and others, but that it fell apart over the involvement of bringing founding VH bassist Michael Anthony back in on a part-time basis. We wish Eddie the best and we will keep following this news. Continue reading →