Janie Liszewski is the widowed wife of Eddie Van Halen, the late American musician and famed guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the now-defunct rock band Van Halen. Liszewski was born in 1970 and is 54 years old as of 2024.
Janie Liszewski and her late husband, Eddie Van Halen, got married in 2009, and their marriage lasted for 11 years before death did them part. Throughout the time they lived together as a married couple, their union went on strong and attracted the admiration of many. But apart from her late husband’s fame and success, which undoubtedly made her more famous, Liszewski is a highly successful woman in her own right.
While some people only know her due to her marriage to Eddie, many others got to know her for her career exploits and achievements. She is a publicist, competitive ballroom dancer, stuntwoman, actress, and entrepreneur. Many people know her from the films Bubble Boy, A Man Apart, and Dusk Till Dawn. Read on to get more scintillating facts about the life of Janie Liszewski.
Summary of Janie Liszewski’s Bio
- Full name: Janie Liszewski
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: 1970
- Place of birth: Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Janie Liszewski’s Age: 54 years old as of 2024
- Ethnicity: White
- Nationality: American
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Widowed
- Janie Liszewski’s Late Husband: Eddie Van Halen
- Janie Liszewski’s Children: One stepchild, Wolfgang Van Halen
- Siblings: Two: a sister, Jennifer, and a younger brother, Tom (late)
- Janie Liszewski’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 4 inches
- Janie Liszewski’s Height in Centimetres: 163 cm
- Janie Liszewski’s Weight: 55 kg (121 lbs)
- Body measurements in inches: 34-30-36 cm
- Education: Miss Diane’s School of Dance
- Profession: Ballroom dancer, actress, stuntwoman, publicist, and entrepreneur
- Janie Liszewski’s Net worth: $3 million (est.)
- Famous for: Being the widow of Eddie Van Halen
- Janie Liszewski’s Instagram: @janievanhalen
- Twitter: @JanieVanHalen
How Old is Janie Liszewski?
Janie Liszewski is 54 years old as of 2024. She was born in 1970, but her actual month and date of birth are not disclosed, making it impossible to determine her zodiac sign. Her place of birth is Pennsylvania, although she currently resides in California, both in the United States of America.
Alongside being born in Pennsylvania, Janie Liszewski also originally hails from the US State; thus, she is an American national, and her ethnic background is White. Janie spent most of her childhood in Pennsylvania and received her early education there. Her parents reportedly raised her, but nothing is publicly known about them, including their names.
Janie Liszewski is a private person, so she has kept information about her early years and family background away from the public and media. However, further research revealed that her father was a businessman while her mother was a ballroom dancer, which means she is following in her mother’s footsteps.
In 2020, Janie disclosed the demise of her mother but did not state the cause of her death. She has a sister named Jennifer and a younger brother, Tom, who died in June 2020, the same year her mother died.
Janie Liszewski’s Educational Background
Janie Liszewski attended William S. Hart High School, a public high school in Newhall, Santa Clarita, California, for her education. Meanwhile, right from a very young age, she had dreamed and aspired to become a dancer. So, after high school, she decided not to proceed to college but pursue her lifelong dream.
So, she enrolled at Miss Diane’s School of Dance in Kansas City, United States. There, she honed her dancing skills and would eventually specialize in dance and became the professional dancer she so much desired.
How Did Janie Liszewski and Eddie Van Halen Meet?
Janie Liszewski and Eddie Van Halen met in a work setting, precisely when Janie was hired to be his public relations representative in 2006. At that time, Janie Liszewski was running a PR company called High Profile Media.
During her subsequent interview, she told AVN that she felt so lucky and excited to have gotten an opportunity to work with such a legendary musical force who happens to be her future husband, Eddie.
At first, they were simply professional work associates, as expected anyway. Being his publicist, Janie and Halen went on several tours, and it was during these times that their connection to each other began to grow. As time passed, the two continued to get more at ease and comfortable with each other.
Meanwhile, when they met, the music star was still married to his first wife, actress Valerie Bertinelli. They married on 11th April 1981 and shared a son, Wolfgang Van Halen. Bertinelli and Halen, however, went their separate ways after 24 years of marriage in 2002, with Bertinelli being the one who filed for a divorce in Los Angeles.
But before then, the former couple had lived separately for four years. According to reports, the reason behind the divorce was Eddie Van Halen’s cocaine addiction and his refusal to quit smoking. Their divorce was officially finalized in 2017, and Valerie Bertinelli remarried Tom Vitale, although they have since November 2022 divorced.
Janie Liszewski Became Eddie Van Halen’s Wife in 2008, a Year After They Got Engaged
Janie Liszewski got engaged to Eddie Van Halen in 2007, and in 2008 they got married. Meanwhile, they had started dating in 2006 before Eddie’s marriage to Bertinelli ended in 2007. According to an AVN report, Eddie and Liszewski first found themselves in each other’s orbit when the musician made some songs for the film Sacred Sin. It was then that their love story began. Their relationship continued to blossom, and in 2008 Eddie proposed to her.
The engagement party happened in a private room in Tiffany & Co. stores when Janie was on a vacation to Hawaii. Although it seemed to have taken her unawares, Janie, with excitement, accepted his proposal, and their marriage preparation started in earnest. One year later, the two love birds exchanged marital vows at Halen’s Studio City estate in California.
Their wedding was a low-key ceremony graced by family and friends. HiEddie’s s ex-wife, Valerie Bertinelli, and their son were also present. Halen’s brother Alex Van Halen, who is an ordained minister, officiated the event, and Janie walked down the aisle with her husband’s song, When It’s Love. Eddie proved that he had quit drugs as they had a nonalcoholic bar at the event.
Although only a few people attended the event, it was described as a lavish ceremony. The guests were treated to gourmet meals and classy exotic drinks. In the end, the couple left for honeymoon in New York, Germany, and the Netherlands. Janie Liszewski and Eddie Van Halen were married for 11 years, and as long as their union lasted, they lived together peacefully and without any scandal or infidelity rumors.
Their Marriage Ended as a Result of Eddie Van Halen’s Death
Sadly, Janie and Eddie’s love story and marriage ended with Eddie Van Halen’s death. The music icon was in 2000 diagnosed with tongue cancer. But he hung in there for quite a long time. Then, in 2019, he was hospitalized after battling with lung and throat cancer for the previous five years.
On 6th October 2020, he passed away at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. At the point of his death, his wife Janie, his ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli, and his son Wolfgang Van Halen were all by his side at the hospital. Janie never fails to remember his death every 6th October on Instagram with a heartfelt tribute, stating how much she misses him.
Eddie Van Halen is an iconic figure in the American music scene, and his contribution to the growth and success of the industry cannot be overlooked even many years after his death.
Does Janie Liszewski Have Kids?
The union between Janie Liszewski and her late husband did not produce any children. In fact, Janie does not have a child of her own. She never mentioned anything as the reason for her not having a child of her own. While some people were of the opinion that it was an intentional decision between her and Halen, others speculate she must have been trying to conceive.
But whatever the case, Janie Liszewski is a proud stepmother of Wolfgang Van Halen, her husband’s only son from his first marriage with Valerie Bertinelli. Wolfgang was born in 1991 and is 33 years old as of 2024. He is following in his father’s career footsteps as a musician. Janie and her stepson share a good relationship.
Interestingly, Valerie Bertinell and Janie also have a cordial relationship. The two celebrity former wives became close after Van Halen was diagnosed with cancer. Since the singer’s death, they have been keeping a decent relationship with each other.
Meanwhile, in 2020, Janie experienced a cancer scar that left her afraid of death. She revealed that her doctor had been putting a close check on abnormal nodules on her thyroid a few years before. She was so excited when she was eventually cleared and told that the abnormal nodules never grew nor changed. Moreover, she was informed by her doctor that they were not cancerous, and that gave her much relief.
What Does Janie Liszewski Do For a Living?
Janie Liszewski is a successful woman wearing many career hats; she is a competitive ballroom dancer, publicist, actress, stuntwoman, entrepreneur, and pro-wrestler. Above all her interests and areas of expertise, Liszewski is most passionate about dance. Her career as a professional dancer kicked off just after she completed her training at Miss Diane’s School of Dance.
She performed in several stage shows with her mother before she passed away. She is today a professional competitive ballroom dancer who has competed in many competitions and won a couple of them. Janie is still practicing ballroom dance, and her partner is Louie Martinez. The two jointly have an Instagram page strictly dedicated to their dance career.
With the common passion they share for dance, Janie and Louie have, over time, grown a close relationship with each other, and fans began to rumor that they are in a relationship. However, the two pro dancers have publicly debunked the rumors and clearly stated that their relationship is strictly professional, apart from which they do not have any other thing together.
As an actress and stuntwoman, Janie has many credits, some of which are listed below.
Movies
- Princess Warrior as Wet T-Shirt Girl
- Profiler as Vanjour
- The Third Society as Saunders
- CSI: Miami as Susan McCreary
- From Dusk Till Dawn as a Bar dancer
Stuntwoman Credits
- Evolution
- Imposter
- Scorcher
- The Wedding Planner
- Mulholland Drive
- Highway
- Havos
- Bubble Boy
- A Man Apart
- Along Came Polly
- Latin Dragon
- Cursed
- Cradle 2 the Grave
- Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Her Career as a Publicist and Entrepreneur
Jaine has always had a career as a publicist and has worked with several companies, brands, and individuals, including her late husband, Eddie Van Halen. Before she started working for her late husband, Janie mostly worked in the adult film industry. She has also used her PR skills across other sectors, including education and teaching, and participating in pageantry.
In her 20s, Liszewski was present in the national-level Miss Fitness USA competitions, and according to an Instagram post she made on 9th May 2022, the experience she got from the show has followed her through her life and still motivates her to train hard.
Furthermore, as an entrepreneur, Jaine Liszewski owns and runs High Profile Media, a Public Relations and Event Planning Company that deals with strategic, creative media, and publicity campaigns.
She is also a Pro Wrestler
A woman of many talents, Jaine Liszewski also extended her endeavors into wrestling and is currently making waves in the wrestling world. She started working as a professional wrestling manager for her dance partner, Louie Martinez, with the stage name Lita Lamae. Janie has always dedicated her winnings to her lost loved ones, including her mother and brother.
According to Janie, meeting cool people was her favorite part of her wrestling adventure. She and Martinez revealed during an appearance on the JV Sports Show that they adopted one of their favorite dance moves from wrestling.
What Is Janie Liszewski’s Net Worth?
Janie Liszewski’s net worth as of 2024 is estimated at $3 million. She made her wealth primarily from her career as a publicist and ballroom dancer. She also makes a decent sum from her media company, High Profile Media. Moreover, Janie inherited part of her husband’s wealth, although the details are unclear. At the time of his death, Van Halen was worth a whopping 100 million dollars.
Although she prefers to keep a low profile, Janie Liszewski is living a fulfilled life. She had been pursuing her career before she met and married Edie Halen. It would, however, not be completely out of it to say that she has since leveraged her late husband’s fame to build more sustainability for herself. Her life is simply a typical definition of versatility.
FAQs
Who is Janie Liszewski’?
Janie Liszewski is the wife of Eddie Van Halen, the late American musician. In her own right, she has successful careers as a publicist, ballroom dancer, stuntwoman, actress, and entrepreneur who runs High Profile Media.