Valerie Bertinelli is emotionally preparing herself to read Alex Van Halen’s memoir.
Appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show on Thursday, Nov. 7, Bertinelli, 64, revealed that she is yet to read Brothers, which is a love letter to Alex’s late brother and the actress’ ex-husband of 25 years, Van Halen rocker Eddie Van Halen.
“I am so excited to read it,” the actress said as host Barrymore, 49, held up a copy of the book. “It’s been sitting in my house now and I look at it, and I am shaking just thinking about it because I know them very well.”
Barrymore’s co-host Ross Matthews then asked Bertinelli, who joined season 5 of The Drew Barrymore Show as a lifestyle expert earlier this year, “I think Drew and I have the same question, can we ask why haven’t you read it?”
“It’s going to be emotional,” Bertinelli responded. “It’s going to be very emotional, because I love these two men. They are good men and they are very complicated men. Congratulations, Al, going to be a bestseller.”
The former Food Network star heaped further praise on the drummer’s memoir, calling it “beautiful” and saying of Alex, 71, “He did an amazing job.”
“When I talked to Al last year when he told me he was writing the book, I was super excited for him and we had a long conversation about grief and what you go through,” Bertinelli continued. “He’s a very, very private man, so for him to do this is quite extraordinary. And to do it so beautifully I am so proud of you Al.”
“I am so happy that you wrote your story and I truly believe that people get a different insight into Ed the man and not the icon or whatever you may think you know about him, he was not that. He was a gentle, gentle soul that went through extreme trauma and Al did, too,” she added.
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Eddie died in the hospital at age 65 in October 2020 from throat cancer. Bertinelli was holding the musician’s one hand, while their son, Wolfgang Van Halen, 33 was holding the other.
In a PEOPLE cover story published in April of this year, Bertinelli recalled Eddie’s final moments and revealed how the group in his hospital room, which also included Alex and his two sons, ordered pizza shortly after his passing.
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“I didn’t want to believe it was happening. Even while it was happening, I wasn’t believing it was happening,” Bertinelli, who finalized her divorce from Eddie in 2007, told PEOPLE of his death.
“I forget who suggested it, but we were like, ‘Should we have pizza?’ … Because he couldn’t eat, and the last thing Ed really wanted was pizza,” she recalled. “He loved pizza and burritos, so we had pizza in his hospital room. I hope people don’t think that’s morbid.”
“He knew how much I loved him,” she added. “I knew how much he loved me. The last words he said to me and to Wolfie were, ‘I love you.’ Ed was very giving with his heart. He wore it on his sleeve.”
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