"Still leeching off of your fathers name I see."
Wolfgang Van Halen has been under attack from online trolls — but another rock legend's offspring has intervened.
As well as dealing with the recent passing of his father Eddie, the 29-year-old has been dealing with a lot of online hate, such as this vile tweet:
"Still leeching off of your fathers name I see. You talentless f--king hack. Leave the band and give your spot back to it's rightful owner you lowlife c--t."
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View StoryWolfgang responded by sharing the tweet with his own reply:
"I don't have the energy to come up with a joke for this, just look at this lame asshole lol," he wrote, per Ultimate Guitar. "What a sad life this dude must lead."
A scroll back through the musician's Twitter feed reveals that he has been fighting fake articles and dodgy merchandise in the month since his father's death — as well as attacks on his music.
When one follower advised against giving platform to hate, telling him to ignore it instead, he replied: "Dude I'm literally laughing at it. How much more do you want me to let go?"
But it wasn't until Dweezil Zappa, son of the late Frank Zappa, chimed in with some sage advice that Wolfgang appeared to change his mind:
I’m sorry you’re hearing the worst from some people. It won’t always be that way. Your love for your dad speaks volumes and it always will. Your own music will speak for itself and you won’t have to explain anything to anyone. The Van Halen name is in good hands everyone! Respect
— Dweezil Zappa (@DweezilZappa) November 13, 2020 @DweezilZappa
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View Story"I'm sorry you're hearing the worst from some people. It won't always be that way. Your love for your dad speaks volumes and it always will," Dweezil, himself a fellow rocker following in his father's footsteps, tweeted in a reply.
"Your own music will speak for itself and you won't have to explain anything to anyone. The Van Halen name is in good hands everyone! Respect."
It appeared Dweezil's wise words hit the mark, as Wolfgang deleted the tweet.
Wolfgang replaced Michael Anthony as Van Halen's bassist in 2006.
On Monday he announced his own new band — Mammoth WVH — whose first debut single, "Distance", is dedicated to his dad, who lost his battle with throat cancer on October 6.
"As my pop continued to struggle with various health issues, I was imagining what my life would be like without him and how terribly I'd miss him," he wrote in the video description.
"While the song is incredibly personal, I think anyone can relate to the idea of having a profound loss in their life. I never intended 'Distance' to be the very first piece of music people would hear from me, but I also thought my father would be here to celebrate its release. This is for him. I love and miss you, Pop."
Proceeds from the song will be donated to Eddie's favorite charity, Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation.