Really sad to hear this but I recall that his throat cancer was quite advanced when it was found. He had a long haul with it. One of the guitar greats, whether or not you liked Van Halen as a band.
My husband woke me up early this morning here in Australia with the news - very sad indeed. We met Van Halen in person before their concert approx 20yrs ago and he was so lovely to us. RIP Eddie