Valerie Bertinelli Honors Love Eddie Van Halen - She Had Regrets after They Divorced for the Sake of Son

• Valerie Bertinelli paid tribute to her ex-husband Eddie Van Halen who was the love of her life.

• Bertinelli explained why she and Van Halen divorced after 26 years of marriage, even though she loved him more than she knew how to explain.

• She also revealed her regrets after Van Halen spoke his last words to her and their son a moment before he stopped breathing.

Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen were young when they married and welcomed their son, Wolfgang. Their relationship did not last, but they remained close throughout the years and always admitted they loved one another.

Bertinelli has often mentioned how much she misses her ex-husband after his death. Now, Bertinelli and her son have shared their feelings on what would have been Van Halen's 68th birthday.

Bertinelli took to Instagram three days ago to share two black and white photos on her ex-husband's birthday. The first was of the two of them smiling at the camera, and the next included their son.

Her son also shared a photo on Instagram on his father's 68th birthday. He shared a picture of him holding a guitar and smiling while his father draped an arm over his shoulder and laughed at someone outside the frame.

He wished his father a happy birthday and said he wished he could give his father his birthday wish in person. He then said:

"I love and miss you more than you could ever know."

After Van Halen passed away in 2020, Bertinelli shared the regrets she has over his passing and the last words they shared with one another moments before he took his last breath.

Why Did Bertinelli Divorce Van Halen Even Though She Loved Him

Van Halen and Bertinelli met in 1980 after Bertinelli's brothers used her to get backstage at a Van Halen concert. She admitted that after seeing Van Halen's face on the cassette tape her brothers had, she decided she would be going.

Bertinelli said that it was love at first sight when she met her future husband. Shortly after the concert, Van Halen phoned Bertinelli and asked her to meet up with him, which she did. She mentioned that they never separated from then on.

The actress recalled that even though Van Halen had a bad boy image, he was a perfect gentleman and insisted on sleeping in separate bedrooms when they started dating, even though she didn't want to.

The couple was married for 20 years and welcomed their son into their family. However, they separated in 2001 and finalized their divorce in 2007. Bertinelli was honest about their reasons for separating.

She mentioned that she wanted her son to grow up seeing parents who loved each other entirely and not just two people who couldn't keep their hands off each other. The actress knew that's not what she and her husband were, so they decided to separate.

After Van Halen passed away in 2020, Bertinelli talked about how she felt after they shared their last words. She said:

"I loved Ed more than I know how to explain. I loved his soul."

She also talked about what people thought about them while they were married and amid their divorce. Bertinelli admitted that the public believed they were a mismatch because of his bad-boy image and her being America's sweetheart.

Yet she confessed that they were not who people thought they were behind closed doors. They each had their demons, which inhibited them from being the couple they should have been for their son.

Talking about some of the challenges they faced during their union, Bertinelli mentioned substance abuse. However, she said:

"I hated the drugs and alcohol, but I never hated him. I saw his pain."

She also said that it was not only Van Halen who caused issues in their marriage. Bertinelli confessed to being unfaithful to Van Halen four years into their marriage. She mentioned it was a pang of guilt and shame she carried with her until their separation.

What Regrets Does Bertinelli Have After Van Halen Said His Last Words to Her?

Bertinelli and Van Halen shared a beautiful bond even after they got divorced. They both acknowledged that they simply couldn't be married but loved one another entirely and through everything.

In fact, Bertinelli even mused that in another life, she hoped that she and Van Halen would be able to share a lasting bond. She tearfully shared:

"Maybe next time. Maybe next time, we'll get it right."

The actress and the rockstar shared an unexplainable bond that endured both of them remarrying. Their bond became even closer when Van Halen was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent treatment.

Van Halen and Bertinelli's bond became so close during this period that on Thanksgiving Day in 2019, he gifted Bertinelli with a gold bar after asking to speak with her privately. It was a pendant-sized bar, which Bertinelli still cherishes.

While the gift is one that Bertinelli is grateful for, Van Halen did not think to gift his wife anything similar and admitted that he messed up in that regard. During the final days of Van Halen's life, Bertinelli and his son were by his side every day, yet Bertinelli had some regrets.

The actress shared that she held herself back from getting too close to Van Halen during his final days on earth because she felt their bond might become inappropriate as they were both married.

She said that although there was no chance they would leave their respective partners and return to one another if one admitted their true feelings, the other would have to, which would have complicated their relationship.

For his last few days, Bertinelli and their son were by Van Halen's side, and she said his last words to them were that he loved them. She said those were also hers and their son's last words to him before he breathed his last breath.

While she said she loved him completely, there was nothing sexual to their relationship, and only she and Van Halen understood their bond. She then shared:

"There is no greater love than what we had between the two of us, and with that, we made this beautiful son."

After Van Halen's death, Bertinelli took to Instagram to share a photo of herself, Van Halen, and their son when he was still a baby. She thanked Van Halen for giving her her son and then said she would see him in her next life before

him "my love."