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On March 16th, 1991, Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen and his then-wife, actress Valerie Bertinelli, had a son they named Wolfgang. That little boy would go on to become the bassist for Van Halen. To celebrate Wolfie's birthday, here are 10 things you might not know about him:
1. Wolfgang seemed destined for musical glory – his parents named him after the classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
2. Wolfgang never really knew his dad was a famous rock star until he started picking up CDs and seeing his father’s photo on them.
3. Wolfgang watched his dad’s rehearsals growing up and started playing drums at age nine. He moved on to guitar two years later and then eventually started playing bass. He now can also play keyboard.
4. Wolfie had quite an impact on his dad. For 13 years after his birth, Eddie worked with Peavey on a line of guitars called the Wolfgang series. Plus, Van Halen’s instrumental track “316” was named in honor of Wolfie’s birthday.
5. Wolfgang at first figured bass was an “easier version of guitar” but soon realized that wasn’t the case at all.
6. Wolfie’s bass heroes are Primus’ Les Claypool and Tool’s Justin Chancellor.
7. During Van Halen’s 2008 tour, Wolfgang spent three to four hours a day getting tutored before the gigs. The band’s rider even demanded a study room for him.
8. Wolfgang has appeared on three episodes of his mom’s Food Network series, Valerie’s Home Cooking. On one episode, she cooked him his favorite foods: pasta e fagiolo, turkey meatloaf, roasted broccoli rabe, and pumpkin pudding.
9. Wolfgang’s favorite Van Halen albums from the band’s early era with David Lee Roth from 1978 to 1984 are Fair Warning and1984.
10. In 2015, Eddie announced that Wolfgang is working on a solo album. He said that his son is playing drums and bass on the set, but there haven’t been any updates on the effort since Eddie announced it.
Happy birthday Wolfgang!