Sammy Hagar Impersonator Sparks Chaos After Fooling Fans and Promoters
Photo by KRISTY FOX, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Rock legend Sammy Hagar is taking a recent viral hoax in stride, laughing off a false report that claimed a man had been arrested for impersonating him and trying to cash fake royalty checks.
The Fake Story That Fooled the Internet
The fabricated tale appears to have originated from the Mount Vernon II News & Rumors Facebook page, a site that describes itself as mixing “actual news stories” with “rumors & parody.”
According to the satirical post, a 58-year-old man named Ronnie Putnam from Summersville allegedly walked into several businesses—including two banks and a vape shop—pretending to be Hagar. The story humorously claimed that Putnam identified himself as “the real Red Rocker” and even sang an impromptu a cappella version of “I Can’t Drive 55” to prove it.
“He said he was on tour but needed to cash a royalty check,” one supposed bank teller was quoted as saying. “He was wearing red sunglasses and smelled faintly of margarita mix, so I thought it was actually him.”
The post continued with the outlandish claim that Putnam presented a homemade ID card reading “Sammy Hagar, Rock God,” before being “arrested” and shouting, “I CAN’T DRIVE TO JAIL!”
Hagar’s Reaction: Amused, Not Offended
Despite the obvious parody, some smaller news outlets picked up the story and reported it as fact, prompting Mount Vernon police to issue a clarification that no such arrest had taken place.
Hagar himself responded on his X (formerly Twitter) account, sharing that “every person” he knows had sent him the viral post. His main issue, he joked, was the idea that anyone could mistake the man in the accompanying photo for him.
“Who knows with AI these days if this is real or not,” Hagar wrote. “But anybody that would fall for this guy saying he’s the Red Rocker probably couldn’t name one of my songs.”
New Music Amid the Mayhem
The humorous incident arrives shortly after Hagar’s latest release, The Residency, a double-vinyl live album capturing performances from his Best of All Worlds Las Vegas shows. The project celebrates Hagar’s tenure as Van Halen’s frontman, further cementing his legacy as one of rock’s most enduring voices.
