Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Eddie van Halen Gets Tribute from Quincy Jones for His Historic Performance on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”

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Eddie van Halen played the memorable guitar solo on Michael Jackson’s instant classic, “Beat It,” back in 1983. Producer Quincy Jones paid tribute to him tonight:

“RIP to the GREAT @eddievanhalen
. Even though it took a couple calls to convince U it was actually me on the phone :) U killed it on Thriller, & your classic
Guitar
solo on Beat It will never be matched. I’ll always smile when I think of our time working together. Eternal
Red heart
& props.”

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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