Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor has reflected on the death of Eddie Van Halen, hailing the legendary guitarist as an “incredible” musician who “influenced 40 years” of rock stars.

Appearing on the ‘Talk Is Jericho’ podcast, Taylor explained how he was preparing to celebrate his first wedding anniversary when he first learnt of Van Halen’s death.

“The sad thing is that [Eddie’s death] happened on my [first wedding] anniversary. Me and [my wife] Alicia, we’re getting dudded up and getting all ready, and then all of a sudden, we get the news,” he said.

“And everybody was hitting me up. So I immediately reached out to all the people I knew who knew Eddie. ‘Cause I’d never met him. But obviously, his music touched all of us.”

Praising the band’s far-reaching legacy, he went on: “Van Halen were so different, and yet they were the blueprint for a million bands, dude.

“I mean, every band I know, even if they didn’t dig Van Halen’s music, they respected the craftsmanship, the diversity, the intricacy that they put together. You had to be really good to play a Van Halen song.”

“It wasn’t just one of those things where you could ham and egg it. I can’t play a Van Halen song. I get close, I start the riff, and then I just start humming with my mouth.

“He was incredible,” Corey added. “The influence that he had on not only modern shredders, but the ’80s rock bands, the ’90s rock bands. He influenced 40 years of musicianship. Name another person who’s still alive, really, who’s had that kind of impact, man.”

The comments come after Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, recently detailed his father’s battles with illness in the years leading up to his death.

Wolfgang explained that his father’s worsening condition came amid plans for a Van Halen “classic line-up” reunion tour, which the band’s manager Irving Azoff discussed last month.

Earlier this month, Slash, Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett and Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello honoured Van Halen at this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.