From Nijmegen to rock โnโ roll immortality โ and now one of the Netherlandsโ highest honours ๐ค๐ณ๐ฑ
Stick โSir Alex Van Halenโ on the drum riser.*
Wellโฆ not technically. But allow us the rock โnโ roll excitement for five minutes. ๐๐ค
Legendary Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen has received a prestigious royal honour in his native Netherlands, being appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion in recognition of his extraordinary musical career.
The 73-year-old drummer received the honour on Tuesday, 1 September 2026, during a ceremony in Nijmegen, the Dutch city where Alex and his late brother Eddie Van Halen spent part of their childhood.
And if there was ever a bloke worthy of receiving a medal while somebody somewhere blasts the opening drums of โHot for Teacherโ, itโs Alex Van Halen.
๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ฑ
๐ A ROYAL HONOUR FOR A ROCK LEGEND
Alex was presented with the royal decoration by Nijmegen mayor Hubert Bruls during a ceremony at the Berchmanianum, part of Radboud University.
He had travelled from the United States especially for the occasion.
The honour makes Alex a Ridder in de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw โ Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.
And this isnโt just some shiny medal they hand out with your stroopwafels, either.
The Order of the Netherlands Lion dates back to 1815 and is the countryโs oldest and highest civilian order of chivalry, recognising exceptional contributions to society.
For one of rock musicโs most distinctive drummers, itโs a pretty spectacular acknowledgement of a lifetime spent behind the kit.
๐ฅ ALEX: โIโM VERY GRATEFULโ
Speaking after receiving the honour, Alex revealed that a family member had helped organise the recognition and said he was extremely grateful.
He also reflected on the importance of institutions recognising peopleโs achievements and giving them something to continue living up to.
But perhaps the loveliest moment came when Alex addressed those gathered at the ceremony.
His message was simple:
Be creative and chase your dreams with your heart and your head.
Considering this is a man who helped take a family name from the Netherlands to arenas around the planet, weโd say thatโs pretty decent advice.
๐ณ๐ฑ BACK WHERE THE VAN HALEN STORY BEGAN
The location makes the honour particularly special.
Long before the enormous American arenas, screaming guitar solos, mountains of amplifiers and enough backstage rock โnโ roll stories to keep documentary makers busy until 2087, the Van Halen story had its roots in the Netherlands.
Alex and Eddie were born in Amsterdam and spent their early childhood years in Nijmegen before the family emigrated to the United States in 1962.
They eventually settled in Pasadena, California.
Their father, Jan Van Halen, was himself a musician, and music became an enormous part of the brothersโ lives.
Nobody could have predicted just how far those two lads would eventually take it.
๐ธ THEN CAME VAN HALENโฆ
Alex and Eddie eventually formed the band that would become Van Halen.
And things got rather silly from there.
After years grinding through clubs and backyard parties around Southern California, Van Halen unleashed their self-titled debut album in 1978.
What an album.
โRunninโ with the Devilโ.
โAinโt Talkinโ โbout Loveโ.
โJamieโs Cryinโโ.
And, of course, Eddieโs jaw-dropping โEruptionโ.
Rock music suddenly had a serious problem on its hands.
Van Halen had arrived.
๐ฅ THE OTHER HALF OF THAT VAN HALEN SOUND
Eddieโs revolutionary guitar playing understandably attracted enormous attention, but Alexโs drumming was every bit as crucial to the bandโs identity.
That enormous snare.
Those thundering toms.
The swing.
The groove.
And that ridiculous opening to โHot for Teacherโ that has probably caused approximately nine billion air-drumming incidents over the years.
Alex wasnโt simply keeping time behind his brother.
He was driving the bloody thing.
His combination of power, precision and swing became one of the defining ingredients of Van Halenโs sound.
Put headphones on.
Turn up โPanamaโ.
Youโll understand.
Actually, turn it up again.
Thatโs better. ๐ค
๐ FROM DUTCH CHILDHOOD TO GLOBAL SUPERSTARDOM
Van Halen would become one of the biggest rock bands on Earth.
Albums including Van Halen, Van Halen II, Women and Children First, Fair Warning, 1984, 5150 and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge helped establish the band as genuine rock royalty.
There were different singers.
Different eras.
Arguments.
Reunions.
Line-up changes.
Enough drama to fill several seasons of a Netflix series.
But through it all, Alex and Eddie Van Halen remained the heartbeat of Van Halen.
One brother with a guitar.
One brother behind the drums.
Together, they created something absolutely enormous.
๐ค EDDIEโS LEGACY IS NEVER FAR AWAY
Thereโs inevitably an emotional element to Alex returning to the Netherlands to receive such an honour.
Eddie Van Halen died in October 2020, aged 65.
His death was a devastating loss to the rock world and effectively brought the Van Halen story to its end.
But Eddieโs influence remains everywhere.
Pick up a guitar.
Walk into a music shop.
Watch young players tapping across a fretboard.
His fingerprints are all over modern rock guitar.
And Alex remains one of the people who knew that extraordinary musician better than anybody else.
Not simply as Eddie Van Halen, guitar hero.
But as his brother.
That makes Alexโs return to the country where their journey began feel particularly poignant.
๐ A PLACE IN NIJMEGEN HISTORY
Following the ceremony, Alex also signed Nijmegenโs Book of the City, reserved for distinguished visitors.
Itโs another permanent link between the city and one of the most famous musical families ever to emerge from the Netherlands.
Nijmegen has celebrated that connection before, too.
The city has previously honoured the Van Halen brothers, including temporarily renaming part of Hunnerpark Van Halenplein in 2019.
More than six decades after the family left for America, the connection clearly remains strong.
๐ค THE RIFF REPORT VERDICT
This one is just bloody lovely.
Alex Van Halen spent decades sitting behind one of the most famous guitarists who ever lived while quietly becoming one of rockโs most influential drummers himself.
No Alex?
No Van Halen as we know it.
Simple as that.
And now his native country has recognised what millions of rock fans have known for decades.
Alex Van Halen is rock royalty. ๐๐ฅ
From a young lad growing up in Nijmegenโฆ
To Pasadena backyard partiesโฆ
To sold-out arenasโฆ
To โJumpโ, โPanamaโ, โHot for Teacherโ and โRunninโ with the Devilโโฆ
And now back to Nijmegen as a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.
What a journey.
What a drummer.
What a band.
Raise those drumsticks, people. ๐ฅ๐ค
Congratulations, Alex Van Halen.
Absolutely deserved.
๐ณ๐ฑ๐๐ฅ๐ค
*Dutch knighthoods donโt normally give recipients the British-style title โSirโ, before anybody starts changing his Wikipedia page after three pints.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Zero Apologies.
๐ธ The Riff Report Blog
