Drumming legend Alex Van Halen has been knighted as a member of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.
This is the highest civilian honor available in the Netherlands to its citizens, used to recognize excellence in the sciences, sports, and the arts.
The Van Halen drummer said at the ceremony, “My cousin organized most of this. But I’m very grateful. I think institutions like this are important in people’s lives because it adds a dignity and a gravity to what we do. Whether it’s actually deserved or not, that’s another question. But we can live up to it. That’s the whole thing, is you gotta have something to live up to.”
The knighting was performed in Nijmegen, the city where he and his brother Eddie Van Halen grew up before moving to Los Angeles in 1962. After the ceremony, he signed the Book of the City, a register of important visitors.
The city of Nijmegen stated of the honor, “Alex still feels a connection with Nijmegen, and Nijmegen in turn honors the band.”
The statement from the city added, “The musical legacy of Alex van Halen and the band Van Halen is immense. As a drummer, he developed a recognizable sound and a style of his own, inspiring musicians for generations. For his impressive career, he has been appointed Knight in the Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw.”
Alex Van Halen is currently in the midst of working alongside Steve Lukather on finishing the final Van Halen recordings made before Eddie’s passing. No timetable has been announced for the project.
