DIMEBAG's Girlfriend Interviewed At NAMM; Video Available

Lacey Conner, villainess co-star of VH1's hit TV show "Rock of Love" featuring POISON's Bret Michaels, conducted an interview with late PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's girlfriend of 20 years, Rita Haney, at the Dean Guitars booth at this year's winter NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show, which was held January 17-20 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Watch the nine-minute clip below.

In a recent interview with Metal Monthly, Rita Haney was asked if it's true that Eddie Van Halen buried one of his guitars with Darrell — along with 20 bottles of Crown Royal. "There's a few bottles of 7 up in there too!" Rita laughed. "My boy loooves Seagram's! But yeah, Vinnie [Paul Abbott; ex-PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN drummer and Dimebag's brother] and I were trying to figure out which guitar, and about that time Ed called... he asked me on the phone if there was anything he could do, and I said, "Yes, as a matter of fact there is... Can you stripe him a yellow-and-black guitar?" He said, "Are you sure you don't want the red-black-and-white?" I said, "No... Dime told me the yellow-and-black is the shit! It's the toughest lookin'!" He always thought that. We had just seen VAN HALEN in Midland, TX a few weeks earlier and that was the first time Dime ever got to meet Eddie Van Halen. They hung out before and after the show. Dime even got to play on his rig at soundcheck. He was like a kid in a candy store... the way his eyes were lit up. He told me later in the limo — which Van Halen provided — "How cool is that?" Anyway he leaned over and looked me right in the eyes and said, "If I died tonight, it wouldn't matter, 'cause I've done everything now, I've met Eddie Van Halen!" and he had the biggest smile on his face... he was so happy! But, shit, I strayed! I'm the world's worst about telling 10 stories at once! [Laughs] Back to Ed... He said, "OK," that he would be down in a couple of days. When Ed came in at the viewing, he had the guitar, but it wasn't the guitar we expected... he told Vinnie and I that "Dime was an original and only an original deserves the original!" He popped open the case and there it was... his original '79 still with the rusted set of strings on it! It was so amazing!!! I took it in to Dime and I said, "See, baby, you didn't get a replica! You got THE one," and I gave him a kiss on the forehead and place it in there with him... Ed was awesome and I thank him still!"