Last night, Sunday, March 14, saw the airing of the 63rd annual Grammy Awards on CBS. 

During the In Memoriam section, The Recording Academy paid tribute to musicians who died in the past year. At one point during the segment, legendary Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen's name appeared on the screen, along with a short clip of the exemplary musician playing his "Eruption" solo live, while a spotlight shone on his iconic Frankenstrat guitar.

The negative backlash to such a minimal tribute for an unparalleled innovator, songwriter, and performer, was immediate and severe. Eddie Van Halen's son, Wolfgang Van Halen, has since taken to Twitter with the following update:

"The Grammys asked me to play 'Eruption' for the 'In Memoriam' section and I declined. I don't think anyone could have lived up to what my father did for music but himself."

"It was my understanding that there would be an 'In Memoriam' section where bits of songs were performed for legendary artists that had passed. I didn't realize that they would only show Pop for 15 seconds in the middle of 4 full performances for others we had lost."

"What hurt the most was that he wasn't even mentioned when they talked about artists we lost in the beginning of the show. I know rock isn't the most popular genre right now, (and the academy does seem a bit out of touch) but I think it's impossible to ignore the legacy my father left on the instrument, the world of rock, and music in general. There will never be another innovator like him."

"I'm not looking to start some kind of hate parade here, I just wanted to explain my side. I know Pop would probably just laugh it off and say 'Ehh who gives a shit?' He was only about the music anyway. The rest didn't matter."

"I'd love to get the opportunity to speak with The Recording Academy not only about the legacy of my father, but the legacy of the Rock genre moving forward."

"Thank you."

#GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/fZK9oPUBVR

— Wolf Van Halen (@WolfVanHalen) March 15, 2021

(Photo - Travis Shinn)