Eddie Van Halen’s Son and Valerie Bertinelli Blast Reelz Over ‘Heartless’ Documentary

Wolfgang Van Halen, son of music legend Eddie Van Halen, is not happy with the Reelz Channel. Recently, the network debuted the newest episode of the documentary series Autopsy: The Last Hours of…, each episode of which delves into the final hours of a different deceased celebrity. Eddie Van Halen was the subject of the program this week, and it did not go down well with those who knew him, as Wolfgang made clear with a blunt post on Twitter responding to the show.

“F*** Reelz Channel, f*** everyone that works on this show, and f*** you if you watch it,” he said. “F***ing disgusting trying to glamorize someone’s death from cancer.”

Valerie Bertinelli, Wolfgang’s mother who was married to Eddie for almost three decades, added, “Good Christ this is disgusting.”

The Reelz Channel has said that “a darker undercurrent would plague Eddie throughout his life” when describing the episode, which delves into his rehab stints and other areas of his personal life. You can read the official episode description for the Eddie Van Halen episode of Autopsy: The Last Hours of… below.

“If caught early Eddie’s disease had reasonable survival rates, so what exactly happened? Now renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter will analyze every detail of his life in order to piece together what else may have been going on in his body, ultimately leading to his untimely death.”

Related: Robert Downey Jr. Jumps Into 2021 by Dancing to Van Halen

Reelz Stands By the Eddie Van Halen Documentary

Having the family criticizing the episode is not good news for the Reelz Channel, but the network stands by the episode. Following the controversy, Reelz put out a statement describing how great efforts are put into the series to provide the most accurate details with respect to those covered on the show. They also note how people can learn from these stories, as a beloved celebrity’s passing can help bring awareness to certain health issues and could even end up saving lives. You can read the statement below, per Variety.

“Autopsy: The Last Hours of… responsibly explores the circumstances of the passing of well known and genuinely loved celebrities who the public cares about immensely. The Reelz series generates much feedback from our viewers ranging from medical professionals who praise its scientific accuracy, fans who tell us it provides closure or that they have become more proactive for the benefit of their health and many who gain helpful perspective of health issues that might not otherwise receive attention like Karen Carpenter who brought anorexia into the public consciousness, Prince whose passing focused attention on the opioid epidemic, and Luke Perry, whose passing renewed attention to strokes that affect people of all ages.”

Autopsy: The Last Hours of... is in the midst of its 12th season which debuted in May. Some of the other celebrities to be featured in the current season include pro wrestlers Andre the Giant and Eddie Guerrero, James Garner, John F. Kennedry Jr., Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Telly Savalas.