While the rocker began working on his record in 2015, plans for its completion and eventual release changed when his father, Eddie Van Halen, called and told him his cancer had returned; Wolfgang decided to put everything on hold to be with his father through his battle.
“As my pop continued to struggle with various health issues, I was imagining what my life would be like without him and how terribly I’d miss him,” explains Wolfgang. “While the song is incredibly personal, I think anyone can relate to the idea of having a profound loss in their life.”
Writing the song and performing all of the instrumentation and vocals for Mammoth WVH, “Distance” is an open letter to his father - one Wolfgang was fortunate to play for his dad and would become a favorite of Eddie’s - declaring “no matter what the distance is, I will be with you.”
The companion video features a collection of family home movies through the years and ends with a voicemail left from Eddie to his son.
“I never intended ‘Distance’ to be the very first piece of music people would hear from me,” he says, “but I also thought my father would be here to celebrate its release. This is for him. I love and miss you, Pop.”
Eddie passed away in a Santa Monica, CA hospital on October 6 at the age of 65 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
An organization that is very close to the Van Halen family is the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation; Eddie was very supportive of it via numerous donations throughout his lifetime. Following in his father’s footsteps in another way, Wolfgang is donating his portion of all proceeds from “Distance” to the foundation.
"Our connection with Eddie grew out of his generous nature, his delight in seeing kids learn and play music, and ultimately understanding what’s important in life,” says Felice Mancini, the President and CEO of The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. “Eddie lived out loud through his music, and I believe that he wanted to see that kind of expression ignite in the students. Music saved him and he loved giving back through what we do for kids through the power of music. Thank you, Eddie. We’ll never forget you."
The Foundation keeps music alive in our schools by donating musical instruments to under-funded music programs, and providing vital services to school districts across the US. In the past 24 years, more than 33,000 instruments have been donated to 1,579 schools across the country.
To learn more and how you can help, visit mhopus.org.
See also:
Wolfgang Van Halen dedicates debut solo single to Eddie Van Halen
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame pays tribute to Eddie Van Halen
Van Halen vault contains unreleased material
David Lee Roth shares unreleased song as tribute to Eddie Van Halen
Search Van Halen at hennemusic
