Drumming News :
Alex Van Halen has added one of the Netherlands’ highest civilian honors to his remarkable collection of accolades.
The legendary Van Halen drummer and co-founder was appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Ridder in de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw) on Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Nijmegen — the Dutch city where Alex and his brother, Eddie Van Halen, spent much of their childhood before the family moved to the United States in 1962.
At a ceremony held at the Berchmanianum, the academy building of Radboud University, Nijmegen mayor Hubert Bruls presented the 73-year-old musician with the royal decoration, recognizing his extraordinary career behind the drums and his lasting influence on musicians around the world.
Alex reflected on the significance of the honor.
“My cousin organized most of this. But I’m very grateful. I think institutions like this are important in people’s lives because it adds a dignity and a gravity to what we do. Whether it’s actually deserved or not, that’s another question. But we can live up to it. That’s the whole thing, is you gotta have something to live up to.”
Alex also signed Nijmegen’s Book of the City, a special register reserved for distinguished visitors. His name now appears alongside notable figures including Bruce Springsteen and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
The ceremony carried particular meaning because of the city’s place in the Van Halen family story. Alex and Eddie were born in Amsterdam and moved with their parents, Jan and Eugenia Van Halen, to Nijmegen when they were young. Their father was a professional musician, while their mother was born in Indonesia. The family remained in Nijmegen until emigrating to America, eventually settling in Pasadena, California.
Although Van Halen became synonymous with Southern California rock, the brothers’ Dutch roots have remained an important part of their story. Nijmegen has embraced that connection over the years, including temporarily renaming part of Hunnerpark Van Halenplein in 2019 and unveiling a mural honoring Eddie.
The city praised Alex’s distinctive drumming style as powerful, dynamic and precise while retaining a unique swing — qualities that became an essential part of the Van Halen sound.
Alex and Eddie formed the band that would become Van Halen in California. Following years of playing clubs and backyard parties, the group released its groundbreaking self-titled debut album in 1978 and eventually became one of the biggest rock acts in history. The band earned induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, won a Grammy Award and produced numerous international hits, including the 1984 classic “Jump,” which spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Alex chronicled his extraordinary journey with Eddie in his 2024 memoir, Brothers, reflecting on their childhood, immigration to America, musical partnership and the deep bond they shared until Eddie’s death in October 2020.
More than six decades after leaving Nijmegen, Alex Van Halen returned to the city where his story — and his brother’s — began to take shape. This time, he arrived not as an aspiring young musician, but as a celebrated rock legend and newly appointed Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.
Sources Van Halen News Desk, Billboard, Rollingstone
