Former VAN HALEN Manager NOEL E. MONK Passes

Word has come down that former Van Halen manager Noel E. Monk has passed away. Monk worked with the band as their manager from 1979 - 1985, having come on board in 1978 as Van Halen's tour manager. Monk also worked with The Sex Pistols as their tour manager.

His books Runnin' With the Devil and 12 Days on the Road: The Sex Pistols and America showcased his experiences and achievements with Van Halen and Sex Pistols respectively.

Following is a Facebook post from former colleague John Watkins paying tribute to Monk:

"So sad to learn Van Halen’s former manager Noel Monk has passed away. We both got our start way back in the day working with Bill Graham. I didn’t really meet Noel until he was with the Sex Pistols and we had to drive Syd to the Haight Asbury Dree Medical Clinic in my friend’s car after the Winterland show. I met him a few more times during the early Van Halen days. I was consulted on pyro for Alex’s drums and I held the pyro license for their California run on the 1984 tour.

I didn’t really get to know him until I started writing my book. Noel had written his great book Runnin’ With The Devil, about his time with the band and a mutual acquaintance put us together on Face Book. Noel was extremely patient and helpful often offering suggestions and encouragement. 

I had tremendous respect Noel and he didn’t care I held Ed Leffler, the man who took over Van Halen’s management while he went with Dave, in such high regard. We never once wasted our time discussing which was the better version of Van Halen. I think the only time the subject was ever discussed was when one time I said, 'Ed Leffler did an awesome job in a very difficult situation, Love Sammy or hate Sammy doesn’t matter, it could have gone really bad, really fast and Ed Leffler’s handling of the transition was nothing short of masterful.' Noel concurred showing what a class act he was."