In a new interview for Ted Danson’s podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name, Valerie Bertinelli shared a heart-melting detail about her first meeting with Eddie Van Halen.
At the time, the future rock legend made an unforgettable first impression because of how shy and reserved he seemed. Bertinelli recalled being instantly charmed by his quiet, nervous demeanor when they first met.
Valerie Bertinelli Shared the Sweet Backstory of Her First Meeting With Eddie Van Halen
The “Love Again” star opened up about the first time she ever met Eddie Van Halen. It was August 1980, and she visited his band, Van Halen, backstage before their show.
Before the concert, her brother shared with her a cassette tape of the band’s music, so Bertinelli could become familiar with it before the show. She admitted that Van Halen wasn’t what she ordinarily listened to. However, she gave it a shot.
The actress told Danson, “I had never heard of Van Halen. I was into Elton John and Linda Ronstadt.”
However, the photo of Van Halen on the cover caught her eye. She thought, “That guitar player’s really cute.”
After heading backstage, Bertinelli found the guitar god to be “the epitome of shy.” However, his shyness evaporated while onstage, she found, after watching him at work.
“I was invited to sit on the side of the stage, and Ed kept winking at me and making eyes at me, and he would go over and change his guitars, and we ended up going back to their hotel that night.”
“I was crushing on this guy big time,” Bertinelli added. “Yeah, crushing big time. And I was 20. He was 25. All the libido stuff was happening, all that stuff. Yeah. And we went back to the hotel. We talked. We hung out by the outdoor pool.”
Although They Had An Instant Connection, Eddie Van Halen Played Hard to Get
GettyEddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli may have had a connection, but that didn’t mean that the rock and roller was ready to settle down immediately.
Bertinelli admitted that after a wonderful first evening together, “He didn’t call for three days. And I was getting really anxious.”
After they reconnected, Bertinelli and Van Halen’s relationship sped up quickly. “By that time I was just gaga, and I said, ‘Why don’t you move in with me?’ He moved in with me,” she said.
The couple married eight months later.
In her book “Losing It and Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time,” Bertinelli explained, “We slogged through all the issues that make you wonder if elopement isn’t a better idea. By the end of the evening, there was no doubt that every one of the thirty-five thousand dollars we spent on the festivities had been put to good use.”
“Ed and I finished the night with champagne at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where we eventually stumbled into a private bungalow. Our wedding night wasn’t the best, but it was typical. I passed out on the bed in my town, and Ed fell asleep in the bathroom.”
The couple was married from 1981 through 2007. Eddie Van Halen passed away in October 2020 at the age of 65. They had one son, Wolfgang.
