Rock star Eddie Van Halen has finally been released from the hospital, TMZ reports. And the news comes just shortly after he was admitted late last week after complaining of intestinal problems and pain in the abdomen.
Representatives for Van Halen have yet to make an official statement on his health, but TMZ states that the symptoms stemmed from a negative reaction to drugs he was prescribed for throat cancer treatment.
Just four years ago, Billboard Magazine issued a report detailing Van Halen’s diagnosis of throat cancer and that it had spread to his esophagus. Because of the cancer, 1/3 of his tongue was removed, but it had no effect on his touring or performance schedule.
For the last five or so years, Van Halen has been flying to Germany to get radiation treatment. The rocker has stated before that he believes the cancer came from a metal guitar pick he used to use every time he played. And when he played, he’d often hold it in his mouth – which is where the cancer is.
“I used metal picks — they’re brass and copper — which I always held in my mouth, in the exact place where I got the tongue cancer,” he explained in the 2015 Billboard Magazine article. “Plus, I basically live in a recording studio that’s filled with electromagnetic energy. So that’s one theory. I mean, I was smoking and doing a lot of drugs and a lot of everything. But at the same time, my lungs are totally clear. This is just my own theory, but the doctors say it’s possible.”
Now, Van Halen is reported to be resting at home with his son after the hospital discharged him. Apparently, when they got home, the two felt good enough to rehearse some music together.