Rocker Eddie Van Halen has issued a statement expressing his gratitude to fans who supported him as he battled alcoholism in rehab earlier this year.
The guitarist postponed a summer Van Halen tour to seek help for his heavy drinking, and feared fans would be far from understanding - but now admits he has been humbled by an outpouring of support.
In a message posted on his website on Saturday, Van Halen writes, ⿿I want to say thank you to all the Van Halen fans for the tons of emails and all the support they provided when I was in rehab earlier this year.
⿿It was an intensely personal thing that I⿿m not really comfortable talking about right now, but I want everyone to know that their support has, and always will, mean the world to me. I want everyone to know that I am truly grateful.⿿
Meanwhile, Van Halen has agreed to give his first full post-rehab interview to the September issue of Guitar World magazine, where he⿿ll talk about his new custom-made amplifier, the EVH 5150 III.
