“I Will Not Take This to My Grave”: Sammy Hagar Says He’s Extended Olive Branch to Alex Van Halen

While performing with bands like Montrose, Sammy Hagar gained fame thanks to his time with the iconic band Van Halen. First performing with Van Halen during the 1980s, the singer was part of the group off and on during the following decades. But with Hagar leaving his mark in Van Halen, he ended up being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside the band in 2007. Although the following years brought tension between members like Hagar and Alex Van Halen, the singer admitted to trying to reconnect with Alex.

Some fans continue to hold hope that one day Van Halen might get back together. But for Hagar, he wanted nothing more than to have a friendship with his former bandmate. With Alex still grieving the loss of his brother Eddie Van Halen, Hagar told Rolling Stone how he continuously tried to reach out. “It’s on my bucket list that I will not take this to my grave, and I don’t want Al taking it to his grave. I’ve put the olive branch out there many times, and I just put it out again to Irving Azoff.”

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Sammy Hagar Not Focusing On Alex Van Halen’s New Memoir

Again, not wanting to speak with Alex about future gigs or getting back in the studio, Hagar insisted, “I want to be friends, though. I don’t want to play in a band with Al. I’m not asking for that. I can see that he’s not capable of doing that. If he was, I’d be happy to play with him, but it’s not what I’m looking for. I just want to be friends again.”

Also discussing Alex’s new memoir Brothers, which happened to leave out a great deal of Hagar’s contributions to the band, the singer once again, held no animosity towards the drummer. “It’s sad. I haven’t read the whole book, but I’ve seen all the excerpts, and I heard some of the interviews. It breaks my heart, because if I think what Alex is going through, losing his brother, never played with anybody else in his life, and then his health … When I saw how rickety he is, I realized, ‘No wonder he’s not answering my call when I say, “Do you want to go out and play with us?”‘ He can’t.”

(Photo by Kevin Kane/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)