Legendary VAN HALEN Drummer ALEX VAN HALEN Receives Royal Decoration: Knight Of The Order Of The Netherlands Lion

Earlier today (Tuesday, September 1),legendary VAN HALEN drummer Alexander Arthur "Alex" Van Halen was awarded the royal decoration "Ridder in de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw" (Knight in the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands).

Alex received the highest civilian knighthood of the Netherlands in Nijmegen, where he and his brother Edward lived until they moved to Los Angeles in 1962. The decoration is used to recognize merits in the arts, science, sport and literature.

The 73-year-old musician was appointed to the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands Tuesday afternoon at the Berchmanianum, the academy building of Radboud University, by Nijmegen mayor Hubert Bruls.

In a short interview after the ceremony, Alex said: "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."

Alex, along with Eddie, was born in Amsterdam, and the family moved to Nijmegen shortly afterwards. Their father Jan was a musician and their mother Eugenia was born in Indonesia.

In 1962 the family moved to the U.S., settling in Pasadena, California, where the brothers became naturalized US citizens.

Alex and Eddie, whose full name was Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, formed a band called MAMMOTH in 1972, then renamed it VAN HALEN when singer David Lee Roth joined the group and, later, bassist Michael Anthony.

VAN HALEN was one of the biggest rock bands in the U.S. in the 1980s, with hits like "Runnin' With The Devil", "Dance The Night Away", "Hot For Teacher", "Panama" and "Jump". The group, which later featured Sammy Hagar on vocals, was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007.

According to Modern Drummer, Alex was instrumental to VAN HALEN's electrifying, dramatic sound, leading the rhythm section on standout hits like "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", "Unchained" and "Panama". His double-bass pedal work throughout "Hot For Teacher" was deeply influential, combining technical prowess with a restless, thoroughly original drum composition.

Alex's memoir, "Brothers", came out in October 2024 via HarperCollins. The book as described as an "intimate and open account — nothing like any rock and roll memoir you've ever read" — into the story of family, friendship, music and brotherly love between Alex and Eddie Van Halen, who died in October 2020 from complications due to cancer.