The ex-wife of guitar hero Eddie Van Halen, Valerie Bertinelli, says that cigarette smoking might have caused his mouth cancer.
During the late 1990s Eddie Van Halen was treated twice for tongue and mouth cancer.
However, Eddie, who beat the cancer, blamed the disease on holding a metal guitar pick in his mouth over the years.
A report on the website www.contactmusic.com reports Bertinelli as saying: ‘The guy has mouth cancer, gets part of his tongue cut out, and he still insists cigarettes have nothing to do with it.’
Despite his battles with oral cancer, Eddie has been photographed in public as recently as July 2006 smoking cigarettes.
Meanwhile, it was announced this week that Van Halen has postponed a series of concerts in the US as the band member undergoes medical testing for an undisclosed condition.
A statement released by Van Halen’s representative and the tour promoter, Live Nation, said: ‘According to Eddie Van Halen’s physician, he is undergoing a battery of comprehensive medical tests to determine a defined diagnosis and recommended medical procedures.’
