A Musical Tribute
- Eddie Van Halen, who recently passed from throat cancer, was honored in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony featuring fellow rock stars.
- The main causes of throat cancer include smoking and drinking, but recent studies have shown a large majority of diagnoses are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
- Creative outlets such as painting, writing, and music can help people facing cancer cope during treatment.
During the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony’s in memoriam segment, Van Halen received a very special tribute featuring fellow rock stars discussing the impact he left in the rock n’ roll industry. In a three-minute long video, familiar faces including Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, and Guns N’ Roses’ Slash all had nothing but admiration and awe for the late rock star.
Read MoreVan Halen passed away in October after a long battle with throat cancer. He kept his journey out of the public eye for the most part, but has been battling cancer for nearly two decades having previously battled tongue cancer. According to TMZ, he'd been in and out of the hospital for intestinal issues and recently underwent chemotherapy before his passing.
The Van Halen guitarist is certainly one of the most iconic musicians to ever step on stage, and that sentiment is shared among both Morello and Hammet. “He had the kind of talent that maybe comes around once a century,” Morello says. “Eddie Van Halen inspired me to practice 20,000 hours to try to get within 100 miles of his inspired mastery of the electric guitar.”
Causes of Throat Cancer
Van Halen has said he suspects that his throat cancer diagnosis was caused by putting copper and brass guitar picks in his mouth for years, but there’s no sufficient evidence to suggest that copper and brass are linked to cancer risk. The two main causes of throat cancer include smoking and excessive drinking, and Van Halen himself has said he’s been smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol since he was 12-years-old.
“I was an alcoholic, and I needed alcohol to function… I started drinking and smoking when I was 12. I got drunk before I'd show up to high school,” Van Halen told Billboard.
Related: Get the Facts: What Do We Know About HPV-Linked Throat Cancer?
Another large number of throat cancer diagnoses can be caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. According to Dr. Ted Teknos, Scientific Director of UH Seidman Cancer Center, the rate of HPV-related head and neck cancers have gone up exponentially since the mid-90's.
"If you look at the percentage of patients who developed throat cancer, cancer of the tonsils, and the base of the tongue in the 80s compared to the 2010s, the rate of HPV-related head and neck cancers has gone up by 300%," Dr. Teknos tells SurvivorNet. "So there is no myth. HPV causes throat cancer, and it's a sexually transmitted disease."
Dr. Ted Teknos explains the link between HPV and throat cancer
Music Helps Some Heal
As a legendary rock star, it’s likely that Van Halen took some time to sit back and let music help him escape reality once in a while. If that’s the case, then he’s certainly not alone. Creative outlets such as painting, writing, and music can be powerful tools in helping people facing cancer cope with their treatment journey.
This was the case for Bianca Muniz, who watched people she considered friends turn away from her after she was diagnosed with cancer. However, she never let that make her feel alone, and she turned to music as a constant companion. Prior to being diagnosed, she had started a band in high-school and wanted to pursue a career in the music industry. So, cancer turned into both a positive and negative influence.
“This experience has had two different effects on my creativity and my music, so I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from it,” Bianca tells SurvivorNet. “But also the side effects of treatment, of chemo, and surgery have definitely had a little bit of a negative effect on my voice. But then again, I love performing. I always feel happy after I’ve performed.”
Two-time cancer survivor Bianca Muniz says music helped her during treatment
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