Legendary guitarist and composer Jason Becker, who has been living with ALS for decades, has auctioned off a guitar gifted to him by late Van Halen guitarist, Eddie Van Halen, in 1996.
The Peavey Wolfgang #69 Guitar, personalized and autographed by Eddie Van Halen, was auctioned by New York City-based auction house Guernsey's on December 14, and according to Jason, the guitar sold for $110,000.
Says Becker: "My family, Team Becker, and I want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who helped spread the word about the auction. Your support means the world to us. The overwhelming love we receive is an incredible gift. In the upcoming year, I'm excited to share new music and other exciting projects with you. Each and every one of you deserves to know how genuinely grateful I am for your unwavering support. It's because of all of you that I'm able to bring the music I envision to life and share it with you. Love,
Jason."
Back in November, while announcing the auction, Becker said: "I want to convey that I'm completely fine with this guitar being put up for auction. It was just collecting dust on my wall, and I thought it should be with someone who would really love and appreciate it as much as I do, and hopefully share it with others.
Over the years, Eddie was incredibly kind and generous to both me and my family. These memories are something that all of us will cherish forever. To many, he was a guitar hero and a larger-than-life character. He meant all of those things to me as well, and then he became my friend.
He was as kind, generous, and compassionate as he was a musical genius. Whenever people visited my house and saw the guitar, their faces would light up, knowing they were close to something that had a connection to Eddie. My family would share stories about the day he came over, sat on our couch, jammed, and hung out with all of us. After Eddie's passing, I shared a video of that special day, revealing a side of him that very few had the privilege to witness. Reading the heartfelt comments and witnessing the overwhelming outpouring of love for Eddie from so many has genuinely touched the depths of my heart.
I hope it serves as an inspiration for people to extend as much love to others as Eddie bestowed upon me and my family on that day." The auction of this guitar will benefit my family in many ways, but equally important, I hope it shines a light on the extraordinary heart that beat within Eddie."
