Valerie Bertinelli’s son is almost as famous as her. The One Day at a Time actress’s only child is Grammy-nominated singer Wolfgang William Van Halen.
Valerie, 66, shares Wolfgang with the late rock star Eddie Van Halen. The famous couple were married for 26 years before divorcing in 2007, 13 years before Eddie tragically died at 65 from a stroke.
Wolfgang is carrying on Eddie’s legacy in the music industry while also remaining close to his mom Valerie. Keep reading to learn more about Wolfgang.
© Getty ImagesWolfgang Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen perform together on stage with Van Halen.
Wolfgang learned to love music from his dad
While he was growing up, Wolfgang learned to play multiple instruments while watching his dad and his uncle, Alex Van Halen, rehearse. He started on the drums, practicing on Alex’s drum kit.
Wolfgang got a few lessons from the Van Halen brothers, but was mainly self-taught. When he turned 10, he received his own drum set from Eddie. Aside from the drums, Wolfgang can also play the keyboards, guitar, and bass.
© Kevin MazurEddie Van Halen performs onstage at with son Wolfgang Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York.
He played with Van Halen
In 2004, Wolfgang started making guest appearances during Van Halen’s tour. When Eddie played his guitar solos, his son often joined him to play the instrumental “316,” which refers to his birthday.
Two years later, Wolfgang replaced Michael Anthony as the band’s bassist. He went on to tour with them in his new role in 2007, missing his junior year of high school for the opportunity. Van Halen released their album, A Different Kind of Truth, with Wolfgang as bassist, in 2011.
© Getty ImagesWolfgang Van Halen of Mammoth performs onstage during Blackbird Festival at Cardiff Castle
Wolfgang’s other musical pursuits
After Wolfgang stopped playing with Van Halen, he joined Tremonti with Alter Bridge and Mark Tremonti and appears on two of the band’s albums – Cauterize and Dust. In 2021, a year after his dad tragically died, Wolfgang released his debut album, Mammoth WVH.
His career didn’t stop there. In 2023, Wolfgang was a guitarist on the hit song, “I’m Just Ken,” from the Barbie soundtrack and even performed the song during the 96th Academy Awards ceremony.
© InstagramAn old family snapshot shows Valerie Bertinelli embracing her young son in a sunny garden.
Wolfgang is a Grammy-nominated artist
The young Van Halen was nominated in 2022 for his first Grammy Award in the category of Best Rock Song for his song “Distance.” Wolfgang wrote the song when his dad was dealing with complications from cancer.
© Getty ImagesValerie Bertinelli, Wolfgang Van Halen and Andraia Allsop at the 96th Annual Oscars
He married Andraia Allsop in October 2023
The musician tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Andraia Allsop, on October 15, 2023. They held the ceremony at their house in Los Angeles with just ninety guests. Wolfgang and Andraia honored Eddie at the ceremony with an empty chair.
A few days after the ceremony, Valerie posted a video to Instagram. In it, she explained that a friend of hers sent her a video of the mother-son dance from the wedding. “I couldn’t even watch 30 seconds [of it] without starting to bawl,” Valerie said. “As a parent, when your child finds their forever person, there’s no joy like that in the world.”
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