How Valerie Bertinelli, Eddie Van Halen’s 1987 Photo Is Taylor Swift-Related

Valerie Bertinelli shared her excitement for Taylor Swift‘s upcoming new album by posting a throwback photo with Eddie Van Halen.

Bertinelli, who was married to the late rocker from 1981 to 2007, uploaded the perfect #tbt on Thursday, September 25, a photo from 1987 that featured the One Day at a Time alum and Van Halen dressed in costume.

While Van Halen appeared to be a pirate — holding an entire bottle of liquor and all — Bertinelli was dressed head-to-toe as a showgirl, donning a cobalt velvet dress, long white gloves, and an elaborate headpiece. Needless to say, the actress’ getup looks like the azure, ’80s version of Swift’s orange-tinted showgirl costume that is plastered all over the promo for her upcoming album, The Life of a Showgirl.

The Hot in Cleveland alum referenced so in the caption of her Instagram post.

“#tbt 1987 Very much looking forward to #thelifeofashowgirl for over 30 years now 😇 @taylornation @taylorswift ❤️‍🔥,” Bertinelli wrote.

Almost an entire decade before Swift was born in 1989 — two years before Bertinelli and Van Halen’s costume photo was taken — the couple met after the band’s 1980 show in Louisiana … after locking eyes during the show.

Bertinelli wed the “Jump” artist one year later, in 1981, later welcoming son Wolfgang Van Halen, who went on to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a rockstar in his own right. In 2021, Wolfgang — or “Wolfie,” as Bertinelli calls him — was nominated for Best Rock Song at the Grammy Awards for his track, “Distance.”

Rock royalty rooting on pop royalty? We love to see it.

Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl drops on Friday, October 3.

This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.