Following the departure of frontman David Lee Roth in 1985, glam rock legends Van Halen brought Sammy Hagar aboard as his replacement. Hagar led the band to four multi-platinum No. 1 albums and nine Mainstream Rock chart-toppers. However, internal strife led to his exit in 1996. Briefly returning for an ill-fated greatest hist tour in 2003, he and his bandmates again went their separate ways.
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In 2020, Van Halen disbanded permanently following the death of founding guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who passed from a stroke at age 65. Recently, Eddie’s brother and co-founder, drummer Alex Van Halen, announced he was working on a special project featuring unreleased songs from his younger sibling—without the involvement of Hagar or former bassist Michael Anthony.
Speaking to Classic Rock recently, the “I Can’t Drive 55” singer made it clear there is no love lost between himself and Alex Van Halen. In fact, he likened their relationship to that of another well-known feud in rock music.
Sammy Hagar Gets Real About Playing With Alex Van Halen Again
Last year, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour spelled out exactly what it would take to get him onstage with bassist Roger Waters again.
“Nothing,” the 80-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer bluntly responded. “There is no possible way I would do that.”
Sammy Hagar gets it: “I’m the biggest Pink Floyd fan. I see David Gilmour say, ‘I will never play with Roger Waters again’, and I know what he means,” he told Classic Rock. “I feel that way about Alex Van Halen. They’re negative people.”
Indeed, the ex-bandmates haven’t spoken in more than 20 years. Alex Van Halen even left the Red Rocket’s name out of his 2024 memoir Brothers.
“I think Al’s angry because I’m out doing it, and Mike and I are out doing it, and he can’t,” Hagar told Rolling Stone last year.
SAMMY HAGAR To ALEX VAN HALEN: 'Just Leave Me Alone. I'll Leave You Alone. Everything's Good.' https://t.co/uhdXHl6toq pic.twitter.com/josqA1g7fB
— BLABBERMOUTH.NET (@BLABBERMOUTHNET) April 29, 2025
He added, “Alex wasn’t the songwriter in the band. He was the drummer. Eddie and I wrote the songs. Dave and Eddie wrote the songs, and so we can go out and do them.”
[RELATED: Sammy Hagar “Disappointed” After Van Halen Project Exclusion]
Of his decision to omit Hagar’s tenure from the book, Alex Van Halen said, “[The] original band was the band that was the driving force.”
Featured image by SGranitz/WireImage
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