Valerie Bertinelli and her son, Wolfgang Van Halen, were both taken aback by an upcoming episode of the documentary series “Autopsy: The Last Hours of . . .”
The show will discuss the death of Eddie Van Halen, Wolfgang’s father and Bertinelli’s ex-husband. The legendary Van Halen guitarist died in October 2020 at age 65 of cancer.
The “One Day at a Time” star, 62, and her 31-year-old, Grammy-nominated son blasted the network for wanting to air the episode this Sunday.
In an explicit tweet, Wolfgang scribed: “F – – k @ReelzChannel. F – – k everyone that works on this show, and f – – k you if you watch it.”
He continued: “F – – king disgusting trying to glamorize someone’s death from cancer. Pathetic and heartless.” Under his tweet, Bertinelli replied, “Good Christ this is disgusting.” Bertinelli and Eddie were married from 1981 to 2007.
Reelz released a statement on Thursday that, while not naming Eddie Van Halen specifically, alluded to the controversy in a roundabout way.
“‘ Autopsy: The Last Hours of . . . ‘ responsibly explores the circumstances of the passing of well known and genuinely loved celebrities who the public cares about immensely,” the statement began.
“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,” they continued.
In backing up its defense, Reelz mentioned the passings of certain celebs who suffered from major health issues, including “Karen Carpenter who brought anorexia into the public consciousness, Prince whose passing focused attention on the opioid epidemic and Luke Perry whose passing renewed attention to strokes that affect people of all ages.”
According to an official episode synopsis, the show features renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter analyzing “every detail of [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.”
“If caught early Eddie’s disease had reasonable survival rates, so what exactly happened?” the description asked.
Fans also virtually shook their heads at the show, tweeting their disgust and contempt for the upcoming episode.
“I refuse to watch. There’s not an ounce of substance to any of that programming. It’s only meant to sensationalize the negative to sell advertising,” one person wrote. “Hard pass.”
“If you have an ounce of decency you will cancel this program, please let EVH Rest In Peace, this is all private to his family and should not be shown publicly,” another chimed in.
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