Brad Paisley And Keith Urban Mourn The Loss Of Eddie Van Halen

Brad Paisley and Keith Urban are two country stars mourning the loss of iconic Van Halen guitarist, Eddie Van Halen. The two singers, who are known as two of the best guitar players in country music, turned to social media this week to pay tribute to the late musician who they always admired.

"I am so sad to hear we lost @eddievanhalen today," Paisley wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of Van Halen. "I loved everything about the fire and style he brought to the guitar. I studied him, heck everybody did, we all wanted to play just like him. But no one did it quite like him."

He added,"Thank you Eddie for being a pioneer. It’s unimaginable what the guitar would be without you."

Urban also shared an old black-and-white photo of the legendary guitarist, writing, "Just heard the news of Eddie Van Halen’s passing ..... this hit me hard."

"There are lots of great guitar players in the world, but very VERY few true innovators. Players who seem to have arrived from a far distant planet, and who bring a completely new color to the rainbow," Urban continued. "Eddie Van Halen was this and so much more. Even without the finger tapping, you had a player with extraordinary touch, tone, and a rhythmic pocket and bounce that floated like Ali in the ring. He was a master of complex solos that spoke to non musicians...THAT IS HARD TO DO. The reason was the exquisite melody in his heart, and the joy in his soul of playing FOR people - and it came through like a ray of sun we ALL felt. I say a prayer today for his family and friends."

Urban added, "And from players like me, all over the world who never got to meet him, I say THANK YOU EDDIE. WE LOVE YOU !!!!!!!"

Eddie Van Halen died at age 65 after a long battle with throat cancer. He passed away at St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica, California on Tuesday (October 6), with his wife Janie Liszewski at his side.

According to TMZ, Van Halen's health began to deteriorate over the last 72 hours. Doctors discovered that the musician's throat cancer had spread to his brain and other organs.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer battled throat cancer for more than a decade, and often traveled between the U.S. and Germany for treatment.

Photo: Getty Images