Wolfgang Van Halen says he was asked to perform ‘burst’ at this year’s Grammy Awards

Eddie Van Halen‘s son confirmed that he was asked to pay tribute to his father this year Grammy Awards but that he refused.

The legendary VAN HALEN axeman was inducted into the “In Memoriam” segment on the 63rd volume on Sunday night Grammy Awards, where The Recording Academy tribute to musicians who have passed away in the past year. At some point in the segment, Eddie Van Halen‘s name flashes across the screen over a 20-second archive clip of the virtuoso playing live “Eruption” solo while a spotlight shines on his iconic Frankenstrat.

Not long after the section aired, a number of fellow musicians blew up The Recording Academy for his muted treatment of Van Halen, with former VAN HALEN singer Gary Cherone tweeting: “Perhaps an artist who rethinks how one plays an instrument, who has influenced generations of musicians and literally changed the course of rock ‘n’ roll, deserves more than fifteen seconds on the Grammys? “

Earlier today, Wolfgang Van Halen, which replaced Michael Anthony as VAN HALEN‘s bass player in 2007 issued a statement criticizing the way his father is honored during the event and explaining why he decided not to take part in the tribute. He wrote: ‘The Grammys asked me to play ‘Eruption’ for the ‘In Memoriam’ section and I declined. I do not think anyone could have complied with what my father did for music except himself.

“It was my understanding that there would be an ‘In Memoriam’ section where pieces of songs would be performed for legendary artists who had passed. I did not realize that they would show Pop for only 15 seconds in the middle of four complete performances for others lost us.

“What hurt the most was that he was not even mentioned when they talked about artists at the beginning of the show. I know rock is not currently the most popular genre (and the academy seems a bit out of touch) but I think it’s impossible to ignore the legacy my father left behind in the instrument, the world of rock and music in general, there will never be an innovator like him again.

“I do not want to start a kind of hate parade here, but I want to lay out my side. I know Pop will probably just laugh it off and say ‘Ehh, who’s giving a shit?’ He was just about the music anyway, the rest did not matter.

‘I would like to have the opportunity to talk to The Recording Academy not only about my father’s legacy, but also about the legacy of the Rock genre.

“Thank you.”

The Recording Academy come under fire frequently because they do not include musicians who have died in the past year, mainly due to the time constraints of the broadcast. More than 800 names are being considered for inclusion this year Variety. On his website, The Recording Academy included all of these names on a more comprehensive list, pointing out that the “In Memoriam” segment on television is meant to highlight only some of the artists who passed away this year, not necessarily all.

Eddie died in October at the age of 65.

VAN HALEN was included in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Rolling clip magazine classified Eddie Van Halen 8 on the list of the 100 greatest guitar players.