Valerie Bertinelli and Wolf Van Halen Slam 'Disgusting' Show About Eddie Van Halen's Death

According to Valerie Bertinelli and her son, Wolf Van Halen, television's thirst for stories about real-life deaths has gone too far. The pair are speaking out after Reelz announced plans to cover intimate details about Eddie Van Halen's life and death in Autopsy: The Last Hours Of....

In response to a tweet promoting the episode, which is set to air June 5, Eddie's son Wolf said, "F*ck @ReelzChannel, f*ck everyone that works on this show, and f*ck you if you watch it. F*cking disgusting trying to glamorize someone’s death from cancer. Pathetic and heartless." Valerie Bertinelli, who was married to Eddie for more than two decades, echoed the statement, tweeting, "This is disgusting."

After Eddie Van Halen's family members expressed their outrage, Reelz released a statement to People defending the episode, saying the series "responsibly explores the circumstances of the passing of well-known and genuinely loved celebrities who the public cares about immensely." Reelz also stated that the series is appreciated by fans for its "scientific accuracy" and the way it "provides closure" for fans of celebrities. The network said the show helps viewers be "proactive for the benefit of their health" and provides a "helpful perspective of health issues that might not otherwise receive attention."

Eddie Van Halen died at the age of 65 in 2020, after a decade-long battle with cancer. The trailer for the Autopsy episode discusses Eddie's "many years of uncontrolled alcoholism" and asserts that alcoholism is responsible for "one-third" of head and neck cancer cases worldwide. The episode's official description adds, "If caught early, Eddie’s disease had reasonable survival rates. So what happened? World-renowned forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter needs to analyse every detail... to piece together what else may have been going on in his body."

Kirstie Renae is a writer, blogger, and Austin-based actress with a penchant for binge-watching TV with her dogs. Follow her on Twitter @KirstieRenae.