PHOTOS: Massive Eddie Van Halen mural unveiled on Hollywood's Sunset Strip
See pictures of Long Live The King
A vast mural honouring the late-great Eddie Van Halen has been unveiled on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip.
Created by Los Angeles artist Robert Vargas, the gargantuan Long Live The King mural measures more than five metres high and 32 metres wide and is located on the outside wall of the world-famous Guitar Centre store.
The visually striking painting took Vargas more than two weeks to complete and it was officially unveiled yesterday (26th January) to mark what would have been Eddie Van Halen’s 66th birthday.
Long Live The King depicts Eddie Van Halen playing his fabled Frankenstrat guitar and the image is backed by a colossal black-and-white Van Halen logo.
"Eddie was one of my creative heroes,” says Vargas. “When I was young, the debut Van Halen record was the first album I ever owned. He influenced me over the years in so many different ways.
“As soon as the news hit of his passing, I knew I had to do something creative to memorialize him, and Guitar Center was the obvious venue.
“Right here on the Sunset Strip, where the band made their bones – I can't think of a better place for this tribute to him, and I thank Guitar Center for giving me the canvas to share it with the world."
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The Long Live The King mural is the second time Eddie Van Halen has been honoured outside the Guitar Center.
On 13th November 1985, Eddie placed his hands in cement as he was inducted into the Rock Walk, which is located outside the Guitar Center music store. Stevie Wonder, Robert Moog and Jim Marshall were also honoured on the same day.
Eddie Van Halen died on 6th October 2020 following a lengthy battle with cancer.