The drummer flew from the United States to receive the Dutch royal decoration in the city where he spent his childhood.
Alex Van Halen has been appointed a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, the oldest civil order in the country of his birth.
The mayor of Nijmegen, Hubert Bruls, presented the decoration on Tuesday afternoon in the chapel of the Berchmanianum, the academy building of Radboud University. The 73-year-old drummer, whose full name is Alexander Arthur Van Halen, travelled from the United States for the ceremony.
Speaking afterwards, he credited a relative with arranging it.
He said: “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.”
He told the Dutch newspaper De Gelderlander that the honour belongs to his late brother Eddie as well.
The Order of the Netherlands Lion was established in 1815 and is the country’s oldest civil order. The insignia is a cross beneath a crown, carrying the Latin motto virtus nobilitat — virtue ennobles. Under its regulations, only people judged to have delivered exceptional achievements are eligible. Knight is the grade Van Halen received while the order also has the higher grades of Commander and Grand Cross, and it recognises work in the arts, sciences, sport and literature.
The city’s citation was specific about what it was recognising. Nijmegen described his drumming as powerful, dynamic and precise, with a clear swing, noting that he played a fraction ahead of or behind the beat, which made the music heavy and made it swing at the same time.
After the ceremony he signed the Book of the City, a volume reserved for distinguished visitors to Nijmegen. Previous signatories include Bruce Springsteen and King Willem-Alexander.
Alex and Eddie were both born in Amsterdam, and the family moved to Nijmegen shortly afterwards. Alex lived there from the age of two until he was nine. Their father Jan was a professional musician and their mother Eugenia was born in Indonesia.
In 1962 the family emigrated to the United States and settled in Pasadena, California, where both brothers later became naturalised citizens.
The city has marked the connection before. In 2019 part of Hunnerpark was temporarily renamed Van Halenplein and a mural to Eddie was painted. “Alex still feels a connection with Nijmegen, and Nijmegen in turn honors the band,” the city said in announcing the award.
The brothers formed a band called Mammoth in 1972, then took the name Van Halen in 1974 after David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony joined. Warner Bros. signed them in 1977 and their debut album followed a year later.
They became one of the largest rock bands in America through the 1980s on the strength of “Runnin’ With The Devil“, “Dance The Night Away“, “Hot For Teacher“, “Panama” and “Jump“, with Sammy Hagar later taking over on vocals. Eddie‘s son Wolfgang joined on bass and backing vocals in 2006. Across the band’s near half-century in various lineups, the two brothers were the only constants, and they made twelve studio albums together. Van Halen entered the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007.
Eddie Van Halen, whose full name was Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, died in October 2020 from complications related to cancer, which brought the band to an end. Alex wrote about their relationship in Brothers, published by HarperCollins in October 2024 and billed as an account of family, friendship and music rather than a conventional rock memoir.
