Ex-VAN HALEN Bassist MICHAEL ANTHONY To Perform At 'Save The Heartbeat' Fundraising Event And Concert

Former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony will perform at a fundraising event and concert benefiting Save The Heartbeat on March 25 at Tiki Bar in Costa Mesa, California.

Save The Heartbeat is a non-profit organization that benefits those that are affected by congenital heart disease (CHD). Danielle and Jonathan Maloof started this charity after their son Remington was born with an undiagnosed congenital heart defect in 2013.

Back in April 2017, Michael announced the loss of his two-week-old grandson, who died of heart disease earlier that month.

The musician opened up about the death of little Rex Becerra, the son of his eldest daughter, Elisha, in a Facebook post.

"I recently lost my grandson Rex after turning just two weeks and one day old. We are tremendously proud of Rex," he wrote at the time. "In the short time on earth he left a lasting impression that our family will cherish."

The family opened up about the death in a fundraising page with the Los Angeles Children's Hospital, noting that the boy was "quickly diagnosed with Heart Disease" after his birth on March 20, 2017.

"Within 9 hours of birth he was transported to two hospitals and ultimately landed at Children’s Hospital LA where he underwent open heart surgery," the family wrote on the page.

They wrote that although the surgery was successful, little Rex never recovered from the procedure. He passed away on April 4, 2017, according to the page.

VAN HALEN and Anthony had not been on good terms for more than a decade prior to guitarist Eddie Van Halen's death in October 2020, with Anthony not invited to join the reunion with singer David Lee Roth that began in 2007. The subsequent two tours and studio album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", featured Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass.

Anthony took a pay cut and signed away all of his rights to the band name and logo in order to participate in VAN HALEN's 2004 tour, which featured singer Sammy Hagar.