Alex Van Halen Shares The Most Disappointing Moment Of His Life and Career

Alex Van Halen recently shared his thoughts on some of the most difficult moments in his life, particularly the departure of David Lee Roth from Van Halen and the loss of his brother, Eddie Van Halen.

Alex Van Halen Shares Details Of Roth’s Exit on Brothers

In his upcoming memoir Brothers, Alex opens up the details of when Roth left the band in 1985. He described it as “the most disappointing thing I’d experienced in my life, the thing that seemed the most wasteful and unjust. Until I lost my brother.”

Even though Van Halen and Roth had a strained relationship over the years, Alex made it clear that he wasn’t angry with the singer. “He was one of the three main components of the band. At the time, we didn’t recognize it because we were constantly battling things out,” he told Billboard.

First Call After Eddie’s Passing

When Eddie passed away, the first person Alex called was Roth. “I felt like I owed him that [because of] the work we had done together, and the fact that our families knew each other,” Alex explained. He felt it was important to reach out to Roth after all the history they shared, especially during the band’s early years.

Alex expressed that he has nothing but respect for Roth, even though some of his decisions were “strange” to him. However, he made it clear that figuring out Roth’s choices was not his responsibility.

Reflecting on Van Halen’s Legacy

Talking about the band’s evolution, Alex admitted that after Roth’s departure, Van Halen wasn’t quite the same. “What happened after Dave left is not the same band,” he reflected. “I’m not saying it was better or worse… the magic was in the first years, when we didn’t know what we were doing and were willing to try anything.”