Yahoo Finance Wolf Van Halen Remembers Dad Eddie Van Halen on His 67th Birthday: 'Love and Miss You'
Wolf Van Halen is paying tribute to his late father Eddie Van Halen on what would have been the rocker's 67th birthday.
The musician, 30, shared a sweet throwback photo to Instagram on Wednesday that featured him and his dad sitting on a staircase together and turning around to smile at the camera. The snap was taken in 1995, when Wolf was 4 years old.
"Happy Birthday, Pop. I love and miss you more than you could ever know," Wolf captioned the post.
Eddie Van Halen died of lung cancer on Oct. 26, 2020 at age 65, and Wolf told PEOPLE in December that he often finds himself channeling his famous dad while performing with his band Mammoth WVH.
"I just go up there and be myself. There's been a handful of moments though, where I've done something, and then I realize like, 'Oh s—, dad used to do that all the time on stage,' " he says. "And I realized maybe the way he moved or the way he smiled when he played something, I was like, 'Oh, f—, he would do that all the time.' "
During a chat with PEOPLE in June, Wolf explained how he still looks to his father for guidance and encouragement amid his grief.
RELATED: Wolfgang Van Halen on Mourning Late Dad Eddie: He's the 'Only Thing that Keeps Me Going'
"What really helps me keep going is my dad, because if I just gave up and stopped and crawled in a hole, which I feel like doing every day, I know he'd be really pissed off at me," he said. "He's the only thing that keeps me going."
Wolf's debut single "Distance," which is nominated for best rock song at the 2022 Grammys, was written for Eddie before his death, and the accompanying video features childhood footage of the father-son pair.
Chris McKay/Getty Eddie Van Halen with Wolfgang Van Halen
"Music is a really therapeutic thing," he told PEOPLE in June. "And being able to focus on that and just paying tribute to my dad and our relationship was a really helpful thing for me to grieve in that way."
He previously paid tribute to the Van Halen rocker on his birthday in 2021, sharing sweet home videos of the two goofing off in 1994.
RELATED: Wolf Van Halen Celebrates One Year of 'Distance': 'I Hope You're Still Proud, Pop'
"I wish I could give you the biggest hug and celebrate it with you. I love and miss you so much it hurts. I don't even know how to put it into words," he wrote at the time. "I'm doing my best to hold it together, but goddammit it's really tough being here without you. Not a second has gone by where you haven't been on my mind, and today will be no different."
Wolf's mother and Eddie's ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli also paid tribute to the late rocker Wednesday, sharing a vintage photo of him captioned with a white heart.
