REELZ Network Unfazed By Valerie Bertinelli And Her Son Over 'Autopsy' Episode

Guitar hero and Van Halen founder Eddie Van Halen passed away in 2020 at the age of 65 after fighting several battles with cancer for many years. His death was a sad and crushing blow to his family, friends, and fans, many of whom are still dealing with the aftermath. 

His ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli and son Wolfgang Van Halen are now speaking out against what they say is a "disgusting" intrusion into their family. REELZ Channel announced that they are doing a special episode about the last hours of the Van Halen patriarch, and the family is firmly against it but the channel isn’t backing down and stand by their decision to explore the late rockstars death.

Read on to find out more.

Bertinelli and her son Wolfgang are openly criticizing the REELZ Channel's documentary-style series "Autopsy: The Last Hours of…," which has a June 5th episode dedicated to the death of Van Halen. The duo posted several tweets slamming the show, the network, and everyone involved with the episode.  

https://twitter.com/WolfVanHalen/status/1531959836761436160?s=20&t=2BU8sb2Dy0EQ3p-9zGJvoQ

In response to a tweet by Blabbermouth publicizing the show and the episode, Wolf tweeted, "F— @ReelzChannel, f— everyone that works on this show, and f— you if you watch it. F---ing disgusting trying to glamorize someone's death from cancer. Pathetic and heartless."

Bertinelli- who was married to Van Halen for more than two decades, also replied to her son's tweet. She wrote, "Good Christ, this is disgusting." Many fans supported the family and pushed for the show to cancel the episode since the family was uncomfortable with it.

According to REELZ's statement to People, the series "responsibly explores the circumstances of the passing of well-known and genuinely loved celebrities who the public cares about immensely."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EaMVpGXVSg

It continued, "The REELZ series generates much feedback from our viewers ranging from medical professionals who praise its scientific accuracy, fans who tell us it provides closure or that they have become more proactive for the benefit of their health, and many who gain helpful perspective of health issues that might not otherwise receive attention….

The show's official description reads, "Autopsy: The Last Hours of…" will "reveal the truth behind the controversial deaths of global icons and people whose untimely deaths were surrounded by scandal and intense media attention."

On the channel's website for "Autopsy: The Last Hours of Eddie Van Halen," there is the single question, "​​So what happened?" The description further reads, "World-renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter needs to analyze every detail of Eddie Van Halen's life in order to piece together what else may have been going on in his body, ultimately leading to his untimely death."

When Van Halen died, a source close to him told PEOPLE that the guitar icon experienced a rapid decline in his health in the last few days before he died and that the cancer he was fighting against had "spread to all his organs." His wife Janie Liszewski, Bertinelli, and Wolf were all at the hospital with Van Halen when he died.

Earlier in 2020, Van Halen's former bandmate David Lee Roth spoke to Las Vegas-Review Journal and said that Van Halen's health was seriously poor. Van Halen struggled with throat cancer for over ten years and previously recovered from tongue cancer in 2002.

He co-founded his band, Van Halen, in 1972 in California, and it has since released 12 successful studio albums, the last of which was "A Different Kind of Truth" in 2012. It is on the 20 list of the best-selling artists in history and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.