Heart’s Nancy Wilson pays tribute to Eddie Van Halen with new song “4 Edward”

Heart’s Nancy Wilson has released an instrumental acoustic song called “4 Edward,” and it’s a tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen.

“When Heart toured with Van Halen I asked Eddie why he never played acoustic guitar, his response ‘I don’t have one,’” she said in a statement. “I gave Eddie one of mine and he immediately wrote a song on it that stole my heart. After he passed, it hit me so hard I felt it was time to pay tribute to him.”

“[Eddie] was the sweetest soul,” Nancy said when he passed. “Whether or not he was effed up or partying too much, or whatever was going on, which they all did, but he was just wonderful and sweet as they come. And sort of like the three-mile smile, you know… He was a genuine person. He was a good person. Nothing like you would think a hoity-toity rock star would be. Nothing like that.”

The song will appear on Nancy’s debut solo album, You and Me, which also features the recently released title track and is due May 7. Listen below.