Sammy Hagar discovered an interesting revelation about his family history in the latest episode of the PBS series Finding Your Roots. During the ancestry-themed show, host Dr. Henry Louis Gates revealed to the Red Rocker that he is descended on his father’s side from men who had a different surname than Hagar.
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Gates informed the former Van Halen frontman that DNA testing had determined that the veteran rocker wasn’t descended genetically from anyone named Hagar.
“Get out of here,” the 76-year-old musician responded. “This is nutty as anything I’ve ever imagined.”
The host then told Hagar to turn the page of a book that revealed the surname of his biological ancestors.
“Oh, man, I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” the musician commented. He then announced, “I’m a Belcher? Oh my God. Wow! What a trip!”
[RELATED: David Lee Roth Is Convinced Sammy Hagar Was Probed by Aliens in Bizarre New Video]
More Details About Hagar’s Ancestors
As it turned out, DNA research determined that the man Hagar thought was his biological great-great-grandfather, Alem Hagar, was not related to him. The show’s team discovered that in 1850 and 1860, Hagar was living apart from his wife. The show determined that Sammy’s biological great-great-grandfather was one of about 11 brothers with the last name Belcher who lived in Virginia near his great-great-grandmother at that time. It also ascertained that Sammy’s great-great-great-grandfather was a man named Isham Belcher who was born in Virginia around 1770.
“I’m so happy to know this and this gives me so much mind-chewing ability,” Hagar said in reaction to the information. “My mind’s going to work on this like a mouse on a wheel of cheese, man.”
At the end of the show, Hagar was given a book with all of the show’s findings about his family.
The Red Rocker told Gates that he felt “overwhelmed,” and that he would need several months to process what he’d learned.
“I love it. I’m excited. It’s really exhilarating, man,” he added. “I won’t be able to sleep for a month … rolling this stuff around in my head and reading through this book. … I just can’t wait to show this to my sisters. They’re going to freak out.”
You can watch the full “Buried Secrets” episode of Finding Your Roots on PBS and at PBS.org. The show also features Married with Children and Modern Family star Ed O’Neill.
Hagar’s 2024 Tour Plans
As previously reported, Hagar will be heading out on his 2024 The Best of All Worlds Tour this summer. The Red Rocker will be joined on the trek by Anthony, guitarist Joe Satriani, and drummer Jason Bonham. Loverboy will open the shows.
The outing is scheduled to kick off July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida, and conclude on August 31 in St. Louis. You can check out all of the dates at RedRocker.com.
As Hagar has explained in multiple interviews, the tour will feature him digging deep into the Van Halen catalog.
Tickets for the shows are available now via various outlets, including StubHub. At StubHub, orders are 100% guaranteed through the site’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
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