Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang slams Grammy for father's brief tribute
Mar 16, 2021
Washington [US], March 16 : Legendary musician Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang expressed his disappointment over his father's brief tribute in the 'In Memoriam' segment of the Grammy Awards 2021.
The 30-year-old musician took to his Instagram on Monday and slammed Grammys for disrespecting his father's legacy by presenting his brief tribute in its 'In Memoriam' segment.
The star, who is protecting his father's legacy, started his statement by revealing that he had declined an offer from the Recording Academy to perform during the segment as he thinks "no one could have lived up to what my father did for music but himself."
The musician said he felt his father's 'legacy' was not adequately honoured. He continued that it was his understanding that the segment would feature a few of songs that would be performed for the late artists set to be honoured.
"I didn't realize that they would only show Pop for 15 seconds in the middle of 4 full performances for others we had lost," he said.
"What hurt the most was that he wasn't even mentioned when they talked about artists we lost in the beginning of the show," the young star added.
Criticising the Academy for being "a bit out of touch" and for ignoring the legacy of his father, the musician wrote, "There will never be another innovator like him."
The Mammoth WVH musician added that he hopes to get the opportunity to speak with the Academy directly "not only about the legacy of my father", but the legacy of the rock genre moving forward.
According to Fox News, the legendary musician Eddie Van Halen died on October 6 at 65 years old after battling throat cancer.
The 2021 Grammys, which were held a little differently this year owing to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, was one star-studded event featuring some of the biggest names from the music. Beyonce won four trophies during the ceremony. Apart from Queen Bey, Megan Thee Stallion, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish were among the big winners at music's biggest night.
The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards were delayed owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The annual show shifted from its original January 31 broadcast to March 14.
The ceremony honours musical artists, compositions, and albums across 84 categories.
Comedian and talk show host Trevor Noah hosted this year's Grammys. It marked Noah's first time hosting the award ceremony. Though usually held at the Staples Center, this year's festivities took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The nominations for music's biggest night were announced on November 24, 2020. The legendary Beyonce topped the list of having the most nominations this year -- amassing nine nominations in the process.
Since the pandemic, a number of award shows have been postponed and later revamped due to COVID-19 restrictions.