Jack White honours Eddie Van Halen during 'SNL' performance

Jack White was Saturday Night Live's hero when he signed on as musical guest last-minute after country rising star Morgan Wallen got kicked off for violating COVID-19 protocols.

Though he only had a few days to prepare, White was able to pay tribute to Eddie Van Halen. During his second song of the night, "Lazaretto," the rocker played a custom guitar designed by the late legend. "i thought it could be a nice gesture for me to use this blue eddie van halen model guitar for one of the songs tonight on SNL," White wrote on Instagram prior to the performance. "the guitar was designed by eddie (with a few customizations i had added). eddie was very kind to me and saw to it that this guitar was made for me to my specs. i wont [sic] even insult the man’s talent by trying to play one of his songs tonight. thanks again eddie for this guitar and rest in peace sir."

He also reworked The White Stripes' "Ball and Biscuit" to incorporate Beyonce's "Don't Hurt Yourself," which White helped write, and "Jesus Is Coming Soon," a traditional gospel song about the 1918 Spanish Flu that was famously performed by Blind Willie Johnson.

Watch White's performances below.

This article was first published on iheart.com and is republished here with permission