Eddie Van Halen named greatest guitarist of all time by Guitar World magazine
Eddie Van Halen has been named as the greatest guitarist of all time by Guitar World magazine.
The rocker, who formed the band Van Halen in 1972 and released the group’s 12th studio album ‘A Different Kind Of Truth’ in February of this year, came out on top in a contest voted for by readers of the publication to beat the likes of Brian May and Jimi Hendrix to the number one spot.
The Queen guitarist came second in the ‘100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time’ competition, which was decided by a knock-out tournament in which musicians were pitted against each other in a round-by-round basis, with Rush’s Alex Lifeon coming third and Jimi Hendrix in fourth place.
Other names to feature in the top 10 included Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Steve Vai, while other entrants in the final 50 included The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards (40), Eric Clapton (28), The Beatles’ George Harrison (25), and former Guns N’ Roses’ member Slash. You can read the full list at Guitarworld.com.
In August of this year, Eddie Van Halen underwent emergency surgery for Diverticulitis, a digestive disorder which involves an inflammation and infection of the colon, and it was speculated that the disease could keep him out of action for up to six months.
It was not the first time that Van Halen, 57, has experienced health problems. He had a hip replacement in 1999 and was treated for tongue cancer the following year, resulting in surgery which removed a third of his tongue. He was declared cancer-free in 2002.
The Top 10 greatest guitarists of all time, as voted by the readers of Guitar World magazine, are as follows:
1. Eddie Van Halen
2. Brian May
3. Alex Lifeson
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. Joe Satriani
6. Jimmy Page
7. Tony Iommi
8. Steve Ray Vaughan
9. Dimebag Darrell Abbott
10. Steve Vai