A mural of Eddie Van Halen can now be seen on the rear wall of Guitar Center’s flagship Hollywood location on the Sunset Strip, the store announced Tuesday, on the late musician’s 66th birthday.
Renowned artist Robert Vargas teamed with Guitar Center to pay tribute to Van Halen’s legacy with the mural, which depicts Van Halen playing his iconic “Frankenstrat” guitar. Vargas donated his time and talent to design and create the mural at 7425 Sunset Blvd., which measures approximately 17 feet tall and 105 feet long and covers the entirety of the store’s outer wall at its rear entrance.
“Eddie was one of my creative heroes,” Vargas said. “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.”
Guitar Center’s Hollywood location has a history of paying tribute to Eddie Van Halen — his handprints are a main attraction of the “RockWalk” outside the store, along with several of his prized instruments and other memorabilia on display behind glass.
Van Halen — who attended school in Pasadena with his drums-playing older brother, Alex — died from cancer on Oct. 6 at age 65.
The group made its name in the 1970s after playing Los Angeles venues from outdoor parties to the Civic Auditorium.
By the 1980s, Van Halen had become one of the best-selling rock artists of all time, with Eddie singled out for his innovative virtuoso guitar work.