Eddie Van Halen‘s loved ones don’t want people to watch a new TV show premiering in a few days that covers the rock star’s final living moments.
The late Van Halen guitarist — who died of cancer in October of 2020 at the age of 65 — is the focus of a new show on the Reelz Channel called Autopsy: The Last Hours of Eddie Van Halen. In the series, a medical examiner leads viewers through the final days of a late star’s life, examining the medical events and life happenings that led to the person’s death.
Related: Eddie Van Halen’s Little Known Battle Against Racism Growing Up In SoCal!
But that show angle isn’t sitting well with Eddie’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen. The 31-year-old musician let the world know about his displeasure on Wednesday, too, by taking to Twitter and sharing his very frank opinions about the Reelz Channel and their programming fare.
Writing about his late father’s passing being used as a TV spot, the rocker slammed the network:
“F**k @ReelzChannel, f**k everyone that works on this show, and f**k you if you watch it. F**king disgusting trying to glamorize someone’s death from cancer. Pathetic and heartless.”
Whoa.
Here is his full tweet, with NSFW adult language included (below):
Fuck @ReelzChannel, fuck everyone that works on this show, and fuck you if you watch it. Fucking disgusting trying to glamorize someone’s death from cancer. Pathetic and heartless. https://t.co/84BE5rx81C
— Wolf Van Halen ???? ???? ???? (@WolfVanHalen) June 1, 2022
And he wasn’t the only one, either.
Wolfgang’s mother — and Eddie’s ex-wife — Valerie Bertinelli also criticized the content of the Reelz show.
Responding to her son’s initial tweet on the matter, 62-year-old actress shared:
“Good Christ this is disgusting.”
And you can see her tweeted response (below), too:
Good Christ this is disgusting
— ???????????? Valerie Bertinelli (@Wolfiesmom) June 1, 2022
Any questions as to what the family thinks of this series?? Seems pretty definitive to us.
FYI, Reelz is airing their hour-long special on Eddie’s October 2020 passing on June 5. In it, according to the show’s description, forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter will “analyze every detail” of the late rocker’s life “in order to piece together what else may have been going on in his body, ultimately leading to his untimely death.”
Thrown by the public criticism from Eddie’s family, a Reelz spokesperson released a statement to E! News on the matter, claiming the network “responsibly explores” celebrity deaths with the show. The PR flack added:
“The REELZ series generates much feedback from our viewers ranging from medical professionals who praise its scientific accuracy, fans who tell us it provides closure or that they have become more proactive for the benefit of their health and many who gain helpful perspective of health issues that might not otherwise receive attention.”
Still, fans online were NOT as forgiving.
Responding to Wolfgang’s initial criticism of the network and its show topic, Twitter users didn’t hold back in calling out the channel for their decision-making process:
“I lost my dad to cancer last year. I spent his dying moments with him. It’s not nice. It’s not glamorous. It’s not fun watching a body shut down. This is 100% unnecessary.”
“I’m not big on these type shows… and I do agree with you Wolf. It brings back to mind some horrific details that I know hurts you to think about. They need to work on a documentary showing how he lived, not how he died.”
“Definitely would NEVER watch this! Sorry you have to go through stuff like this, Wolf!”
“Why does anyone other than the family need to know this?? If the family chose to share, they would with their closest friends. The public DOES NOT need to know.”
“They obviously didn’t consult with your family about this. Highly disrespectful.”
“Respect the family Reelz, he was a great guy, treated people with respect and touched many of our lives with his music. I’m with ya Wolf… I lost my father and mother recently and I wouldn’t want them on any show regardless. Too personal.”
Wow!
Reactions of your own, Perezcious readers?
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