Sammy Hagar Says He and Eddie Van Halen Made up Before the Guitarist’s Death

Eddie Van Halen had a famously contentious relationship with several of his bandmates over the years — specifically, singers David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony. But fans will likely be pleased to learn that according to Hagar, he and the guitar player made peace in the months prior to Van Halen’s death from cancer at the age of 65.

In a note passed along to Howard Stern to be read on the shock jock’s show, Hagar wrote:

“Eddie and I had been texting, and it’s been a love fest since we started communicating earlier this year. We both agreed not to tell anyone, because of all the rumors it would stir up about a reunion, et cetera, and we both knew that wasn’t gonna happen. But he also didn’t want anyone to know about his health.

“He stopped responding to me a month ago, and I figured it wasn’t good. I reached out one more time last week, and when he didn’t respond, I figured it was a matter of time. But it came way too soon.”

Hagar joined Van Halen in 1985, replacing David Lee Roth. He sang on four of the band’s chart-topping releases — 5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, and Balance — before splitting with the group in 1996. He re-joined the band in 2003, whereupon he recorded a trio of new tracks (“It’s About Time”, “Up for Breakfast”, and “Learning to See”) for the greatest hits compilation The Best of Both Worlds.

In May, he predicted that there would be a Van Halen reunion when touring resumed after the pandemic.

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