Valerie Bertinelli has opened up about the pain she endured during her marriage to Eddie Van Halen.
According to a video she shared on Instagram, Bertinelli was in love with Van Halen when they were in their 20s, but they ended their relationship after the rock star’s severe addiction to drugs and alcohol took a toll on their relationship. “It deteriorated rapidly,” he said. Bertinelli recalled the struggles and difficulties that occurred alongside her married life during her spiraling addiction and infidelity.
Summing up her marriage to the famous singer, she said: Nothing screams soulmate, that’s for sure. ”
Bertinelli and Van Halen married in 1981 and soon welcomed their only child, Wolfgang, now 33, into the world. The couple divorced in 2007. Their time together was rocky, but in a special episode of Paramount+’s “Behind the Music,” released May 2, Wolfgang revealed the essence of what it’s like to be Van Halen’s son. was captured.
Wolfgang spoke about his relationship with his father, and Bertinelli revealed the complications she faced during her marriage to the famous rock star. She is a famous actress and she admitted that her experience was a difficult one.
Actress Valerie Bertinelli stands in front of the unveiling of her star on the Walk of Fame on August 22, 2012 in Hollywood, California.Reuters/Mario Anzuoni
Guitarist Eddie Van Halen performs at Valen Halen’s private show and announces the band’s upcoming tour at Cafe Wa? January 5, 2012 in New York.Reuters/Lucas Jackson
“I finally got to see Wolfie’s Behind the Music. It wasn’t easy,” Bertinelli said in the video.
“I canceled it so many times because it was too brutal to watch for various reasons. One, I wanted to see Wolfie in pain. Two, I wanted to see him do so well. “Despite that, I realized that I could have done a better job as a parent. I made a lot of mistakes,” she continued.
“And three, I saw that I had turned my relationship with Ed into some kind of fantasy, a historical reenactment of soulmates,” she said.
Bertinelli went on to describe the myriad emotions he experienced with Van Halen.
American actress Valerie poses at a photo call to promote her TV series “Hot in Cleveland” at the annual MIPCOM television show market in Cannes, southeastern France, on October 4, 2010. Mr. Bertinelli. The International Film and Program Market for Television, Video, Cable and Satellite (MIPCOM) will be held on the French Riviera from October 4th to October 8th.Reuters/Eric Gaillard
Guitarist Eddie Van Halen performs at Valen Halen’s private show and announces the band’s upcoming tour at Cafe Wa? January 5, 2012 in New York.Reuters/Lucas Jackson
“But after Ed passed away, as a man I hadn’t lived with for 20 years, I was willing to put myself in the grieving widow category,” she said. She admitted that after thinking for a while, she found perspective.
“What we had together was this beautiful son that we both loved unconditionally.”
“What I got out of that marriage was Wolfie. It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Bertinelli said.
Actor Valerie Bertinelli attends the TV Land Awards 2011 on April 10, 2011 in New York City.Reuters/Jessica Rinaldi
Looking back on her own marriage, she said, “We were not soulmates.”
Van Halen dies of throat cancer on October 6, 2020 at the age of 65. (Related: ‘Cocaine line from here to Saturn’: Alec Baldwin reveals the depth of his addiction)
Despite the difficulties, Bertinelli, like Wolfgang, was by Van Halen’s final moments.
