Alex Van Halen shares rare recording of a young Eddie Van Halen playing guitar to mark the late guitar great’s birthday

Musicians Eddie Van Halen (L) and Alex Van Halen of Van Halen perform on stage at Sleep Train Amphitheatre on September 30, 2015 in Chula Vista, California.

To mark what would have been Eddie Van Halen's 71st birthday on January 26, his brother and Van Halen drummer, Alex Van Halen, shared a snippet of their childhood – and Eddie's precocious talent – on social media.

The muted clip shows a young Eddie joyously strumming an acoustic guitar, shortly before the camera pans to a grinning Alex. The heartfelt video is accompanied by a short quote from Wolfie – “‘Al, you and dad changed the world of music’ - Wolfgang Van Halen. January 26th, 1955- October 6th, 2020.”