Alex Van Halen has generally kept to himself most of his career, but the Van Halen drummer apparently is set to open about his life in a new autobiography titled Brothers. The book, which will be published by HarperCollins, is scheduled for an October 22 release.
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Few details about the memoir have been revealed, although judging by the title, the 70-year-old musician likely will delve into his relationship with his late brother, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, and the story of the famous band they co-founded.
[RELATED: Sammy Hagar Addresses Alex Van Halen Not Participating in Tour]
According to HarperCollins.com, Brothers features a list price of $32 and will be 384 pages long. An audiobook version also will be available, priced at $27.99 and running 720 minutes. The website also lists an alternate title for the book—The Brothers Van Halen.
About Alex Van Halen and His Famous Band
Alex Van Halen was born in Amsterdam in 1953, two years before his brother Ed, and their family moved to Pasadena, California, in 1962. In 1972, the siblings formed a band called Mammoth with bassist Mark Stone, and soon asked David Lee Roth to join as lead singer. In 1974, the group changed its name to Van Halen because there already was another band called Mammoth. Michael Anthony replaced Stone on bass shortly thereafter.
After releasing a self-titled debut album, Van Halen went on to become one of the biggest hard-rock bands on the planet. The group’s success continued after Roth left the group in 1985 and was replaced by Sammy Hagar. Alex is credited with co-writing all of Van Halen’s original material.
Hagar was replaced by Extreme frontman Gary Cherone, who sang with Van Halen from 1996 to 1999. After a hiatus, Hagar returned to the lineup from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, Anthony was replaced by Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, and Roth returned to the fold in 2007.
That same year, Van Halen was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Van Halen continued until Eddie’s death from cancer in October 2020.
Since then, little has been heard from Alex, although he was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2023.
Alex’s Birthday Tribute to Late Brother Eddie
This past January 26, on what would have been Eddie’s 69th birthday, Alex posted an archival photo of him and his brother on his Instagram account, along with the message, “We miss you. #VanHalenForever”
Alex Has Declined to Appear at Hagar’s Upcoming Tour
Hagar also recently invited Alex to hit the stage with him during his upcoming The Best of All Worlds Tour, which in part will celebrate Van Halen’s music.
However, during a January 2024 interview with AZCentral.com, Hagar revealed that Alex wouldn’t be appearing on the trek. “You know, he, I guess, just doesn’t like playing without his brother,” the Red Rocker offered. “Don’t blame him. God bless him.”
As previously reported, Hagar will be joined on The Best of All Worlds Tour by Anthony on bass, Jason Bonham on drums, and Joe Satriani on lead guitar. The trek kicks off on July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
