Who is Wolfgang Van Halen? All about Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen’s son as actress shares rare video on birthday

Wolfgang Van Halen is a musician and guitarist who is the son of actress Valerie Bertinelli and legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen. On the occasion of Van Halen's birthday, the "One Day at a Time" actress posted a heartfelt tribute to her son.

In a rare video posted on 16 March, Wolfgang Van Halen is seen rehearsing on stage before his show.

In the caption, Bertinelli wrote:

"To the 🌙 and back, Wolfie 🤍 Happy Birthday🥰 p.s. I will not be taking comments on how I had one job... to hit one key... and well... I won’t be joining the band anytime soon 😝"

In the video, the actress is seen saying "I love you" to which the guitarist replies, "Love you, mom."

In the comment section, Wolfgang Van Halen commented: "Love you Maaaaaaaaa ❤️❤️❤️"

Being the son of two great industry icons, who have each carved their own niche, Wolfgang Van Halen strives to keep his life private while endeavoring to pave his own path in the industry.

More about Wolfgang Van Halen's life and career

Wolfgang William Van Halen was born on 16 March 1991, to Golden Globe-winning actress Valerie Bertinelli and celebrated rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who was known for his unique two-handed guitar tapping technique. The couple married in 1981 but divorced in 2007 after 26 years of marriage.

Wolfgang's distinctive name was inspired by classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was a favorite musician of his father's. Wolfgang Van Halen was trained by his father from a young age to become an accomplished musician in his own right.

Back in 2006, while still a teenager, Wolfgang began accompanying his father on tour with his band Van Halen. He later replaced the previous bassist, Michael Anthony, which drew a lot of criticism from fans who felt he was being favored.

In a 2006 interview with Guitar World, Van Halen elaborated on the reason for the change.

"He brings youthfulness to something that’s inherently youthful. He’s only been playing bass for three months, but it’s spooky. He’s locked tight and puts an incredible spin on our shit. The kid is kicking my ass! He’s spanking me now, even though I never spanked him. To have my son follow in my footsteps on his own, without me pushing him into it, is the greatest feeling in the world.”

The band dissolved following Eddie Van Halen's death in 2020 after his long battle with throat cancer. In an interview with Entertainment Now, the guitarist talked about the difficulty of dealing with his father's passing and how he would never replace him as the frontrunner.

"I think a message to the Van Halen fans [would be that] some things just really suck. I don't have a dad anymore and I have to figure out how to process that and deal with it. And, that's the process that Van Halen fans need to go through and realize that you can't have the band anymore without Eddie Van Halen. The music will live on forever, but you can't have [the band] without him. Impossible.”

Wolfgang Van Halen followed in his father's footsteps to start his own band, Mammoth WVH and released his debut single "Distance" in 2021. The song was later nominated for Best Rock Song at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

In an interview with Overdrive, the "Take a Bow" singer talked about how personal the project was for him.

"This is just something for me. It's a sacred experience for me. It's my project, and an artistic outlet for me and my mental well-being."

Wolfgang also maintains a close relationship with his mother, Valerie Bertinelli.

In a 2022 interview with People Magazine, the "Number One With a Bullet" actress shared how proud she was of her son. She said:

"Besides the fact that he is ridiculously talented, I'm most proud of his kindness and thoughtfulness,"

Wolfgang Van Halen married his longtime girlfriend, software engineer Andraia Allsop, on 15 October 2023, in a private ceremony.

"Our goal was just to bring all of our closest family and friends together. The past few years, not only with the world, but also with personal tragedies, haven't been the easiest, but we wanted to create this wedding as a celebration not only just for us to get married, but a celebration for the people we love." Allsop told People Magazine.

Last year the couple celebrated their one-year anniversary, with Van Halen writing a sweet tribute to his partner.

"1 year married, 9 years together, eternally lucky and grateful. Love you more than anything @photosbydraia. Here's to forever❤️🥂"

The musician, who just turned 34, has consistently maintained that he will never cover his father's iconic songs as he feels he would not be able to do them justice.