Lenny Kravitz Reflects on Music ‘Pioneer’ Eddie Van Halen, Plus: He Talks New Memoir

Lenny Kravitz is remembering Eddie Van Halen as a “pioneer” in music, in a conversation with “Extra's” Rachel Lindsay.

Opening up about the rock legend, Kravitz said, “He was a pioneer, he was an original… He invented his own style. He changed the face of music. So many people have tried to imitate him. His style is so appealing. For me, moving to Los Angeles as a kid, going to junior high and high school there, Van Halen was huge. They were an L.A. band. When they came on the scene, they just blew the doors open. The mark that he and the entire group has made will never be forgotten.”

As for Kravitz, he launched his Grammy-winning career with his 1989 debut single “Let Love Rule,” and now he's out with a new memoir of the same name.

He told Rachel, “Believe me, it was never anything that I thought I would do... I didn't want to do it. I didn't think about doing it… I took it as a challenge, and I thought it would be interesting, but it took a while to get started… I worked on it a couple of years and here it is… It's turned out to be the most amazing therapy I've ever had.”

Dedicating it to his late mother, Roxie Roker of “The Jeffersons,” he revealed her best advice to him. “Honesty, love, hard work… all of these things are what she left me with.”

Lenny is also keeping fit at 56, as fans can see on the new cover of Men's Health. His secret? “I have to thank the genes in my family… and you know, it takes discipline. It's the matter of doing the work and also putting the right things in your body. I do everything naturally and organically, and it works for me… I highly suggest it.”

Lenny is quarantining in the Bahamas and making new music, saying, “The first six months, my studio was down… but that was actually a good thing. I had to just be still and I needed that and I learned to be patient because when I can't make music it's very difficult for me. I just had to live in the present, but the last three weeks, I've been in the studio and all of these things are coming out, so I'm really excited to be making new music again.”