Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen’s Relationship Timeline: The Highs and Lows of the Iconic 1980s Actress-Rocker Couple
Their love may not have lasted, but the 'One Day at a Time' star and the Van Halen guitarist made for a compelling couple
Valerie Bertinelli has been one of our most beloved stars ever since she lit up the small screen as the teen daughter of a single mom in the classic series One Day at a Time. The hit sitcom ran from 1975 to 1984, and in 1981, while she was still on the show and considered one of America’s Sweethearts, Bertinelli famously married Van Halen guitar god Eddie Van Halen, and they received major media attention for being the quintessential pairing of good girl and bad boy.
Bertinelli and Van Halen’s marriage didn’t last, but they had a good run, as they stayed together for more than 20 years, separating in 2001 and officially divorcing in 2007. The celebrity couple’s diverse array of fans, from people who grew up on One Day at a Time to metalheads, were saddened by the news of their breakup, and in the years since Van Halen’s tragic 2020 death, Bertinelli has often spoken about her ex.
Here’s a look back at the highs and lows of Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen’s iconic marriage.
1980: Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen meet and fall in love
Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen first met in 1980, when she was just 20 years old. At the time, she was staying at her parents’ home in Shreveport, Louisiana due to an actors strike and had backstage passes to see Van Halen perform in the area. As she recalled in a podcast interview, “I saw what he looked like and I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll go, this guy’s cute‘ . . . So I went, and there we go. It was love at first sight, for sure.”
1981: Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen get married
Van Halen and Bertinelli married just eight months after they first met. Some people found it surprising that a rocker with a wild man image like Van Halen would tie the knot with a wholesome sitcom star like Bertinelli, but they were smitten.
In a People interview following their wedding, Van Halen admitted, “I don’t think the other guys like [my getting married] too much. But I love it. Best thing I’ve ever done.” Bertinelli agreed, saying, “Even when I feel sad now, I’ve never felt more fulfilled. It’s crazy. I never thought anything could be this wonderful. Everything, good or bad, is . . . euphoric!”
Bertinelli and Van Halen became one of the “it” couples of the ’80s, showing up to countless events in style. Husband and wife both rocked some seriously fabulous big ’80s hair, and people even frequently claimed that they resembled one another.
1985: The original Van Halen lineup breaks up
Van Halen was one of the biggest rock bands of the ’80s, with wildly catchy hit songs like “Jump,” “Panama,” “Hot for Teacher” and many more. The guitarist was known for his lightning-fast, party-starting riffs and was widely regarded as a true virtuoso of the instrument.
When tensions arose within the band, people were quick to blame Bertinelli for Van Halen’s breakup. The sexism and gossip echoed back to when people blamed Yoko Ono for the breakup of the Beatles, and Bertinelli said, “I have been accused of that, even though Yoko didn’t break up the Beatles, and I certainly didn’t break up Van Halen.”
Bertinelli recalled that her relationship with Van Halen’s lead singer, David Lee Roth, was often rocky, and claimed that he stopped allowing any of the band members’ girlfriends or wives on tour. In 1985, Roth left Van Halen and was replaced by Sammy Hagar. Eddie stayed in the group and was a core member until his death.
1991: Wolfgang Van Halen is born
In 1991, Bertinelli and Van Halen welcomed their first and only child, Wolfgang. Ten years earlier, in 1981, she had told People, “I’m looking forward to having kids, and Edward wants to be a father very much. But we’re waiting a couple of years because he’s away on tour, and I still have a year left on the series. Both of us want to be home; we don’t want to be part-time parents.”
Bertinelli and Van Halen were devoted parents who encouraged their son’s musical talents. Wolfgang has said, “My mom did a really good job at grounding me in my childhood. It felt completely normal. It wasn’t lavish or insane.” Wolfgang performed alongside his dad in Van Halen from 2007 to 2020 and is currently the frontman of the band Mammoth.
Wolfgang and his mom remain close, and Valerie affectionately refers to him as “Wolfie.” She even goes by the Instagram handle @wolfiesmom, and frequently posts pictures with him. Wolfie says he inherited his sense of humor from his parents, and called them his “biggest champion[s].”
The year Wolfgang was born, Van Halen released the instrumental track “316.” The song was meant as a tribute to the musician’s son—3/16 was Wolfgang’s birthday, and in a sweet full-circle moment, the song played at his 2023 wedding to Andraia Allsop in honor of his late father.
2007: Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen divorce
Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen separated in 2001, following 20 years of marriage. She filed for divorce in 2005, and their split was finalized in 2007. Both of them later remarried: Van Halen married stuntwoman and actress Janie Liszewski in 2009, and Bertinelli married financial planner Tom Vitale in 2011. Bertinelli and Vitale divorced in 2021. She and Van Halen remained friendly and even attended each other’s second weddings.
2020: Eddie Van Halen dies at 65
Valerie and Wolfie were by Van Halen’s side when he died in 2020 following numerous health issues, including a stroke and a cancer battle, and she recalled saying, “Maybe next time. Maybe next time, we’ll get it right,” through tears as he passed on. His final words to his former wife and son were simply, “I love you.” After his death, Bertinelli said, “I loved Ed more than I know how to explain. I loved his soul.”
2024: Valerie Bertinelli reveals Eddie Van Halen wasn’t her soulmate
After Van Halen died, Bertinelli shared many loving remembrances of her former husband and spoke openly about her grief. She often referred to him as her soulmate, but both while he was alive and after he passed, she didn’t shy away from discussing the more difficult parts of their marriage.
In a 2024 Instagram video, Bertinelli got real about how she presented herself following Van Halen’s death, saying, “Seeing what I had turned of Ed’s and my relationship—into some sort of fantasy, soulmate recreation of history,” wasn’t totally accurate, as their marriage was strained by his infidelities and drug use. She called these rock star behaviors “nothing that makes you feel loved and wanted and cared for. Nothing that would scream soulmate, that’s for sure.” She continued, “After Ed died, I was more than willing to put myself in the grieving widow category for a man that I hadn’t lived with for 20 years. What we had together was this beautiful son that we both unconditionally loved. That’s what I got out of that marriage was Wolfie, the best thing that ever happened to me. Not a soulmate.”
2025: Valerie Bertinelli shares how she still grieves her ex
Earlier this year, Bertinelli posted a shot of Van Halen and her late mom on Instagram, writing, “I miss them both very much. Anyway, I’m gonna go off and have a good healthy cry. The kind of cry where I feel lucky to have loved and have been loved and the deep grief that goes with no longer being able to hold them and tell them that.” Clearly, even though Bertinelli’s marriage wasn’t always easy, she still has deep feelings about her two decades with Van Halen.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
