Steve Brown shared the heartwarming friendship he and Eddie Van Halen had.
For nearly three decades, Brown and Van Halen had one of the most ideal friendships in the music industry. So when the latter died, the Trixter guitarist was left devastated.
He shared further details about their relationship during an interview with Tulsa Music Stream.
Brown called Van Halen's death as "mindblowing" since he and everyone else lost their superhero.
"Ed was just the coolest, nicest, sweetest guy - to me and to my family, my friends, everybody," he said. "And the greatest compliment I always got from him was he [would tell me], 'Steve, you're part of the family. Me and my brother, we love you, man.' That was always the coolest thing."
The musician also noted how grateful he is because of Van Halen. For Brown, he would not be in the music industry if he never met the late guitarist, whom he called the single biggest influence.
Elsewhere in the interview, Brown recalled the first time they met at the 1991 NAM Show. At that time, Van Halen reportedly introduced himself in the simplest way possible.
Steve Brown, Eddie Van Halen's Friendship Was Deeper Than Expected
Although they both love the industry, Brown revealed that he and Van Halen actually did not bond because of the music.
Instead of talking about their jobs over and over again, the duo would always exchange funny jokes that made Brown realize how funny and warm-hearted the guy Van Halen had always been.
He constantly talks proudly about their friendship.
In 2021, Brown also sat for an interview with The Rock Shop With Ralph, he opened up about having deep conversations with the late guitarist, including talks about making records and their studios.
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"The most important thing that Ed taught me was always keep writing, keep making music," he continued. "And he would always be, 'I don't fucking give a shit about the old days. I'm making new music.' And that was one of the things."
Van Halen died on Oct. 6, 2020, at the Providence Saint John's Health Center - Santa Monica Emergency Room in Santa Monica, California. He passed away following his long, brave battle against throat cancer.
However, his death certificate revealed the exact causes of his death, including cerebrovascular accident or stroke, pneumonia, lung cancer, and bone marrow disorder myelodysplastic syndrome.
Before Van Halen's death, he also faced several health problems due to intestinal issues.
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