Sammy Hagar Just Wants Feud With Alex Van Halen To Stop

Sammy Hagar is officially done trying to fix things with former Van Halen bandmate Alex Van Halen. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, the Red Rocker made it clear he’s moving on.

Hagar said:

“Al, you’re fine. Just leave me alone. I’ll leave you alone. Everything’s good.
“I’m making you money, by the way, Al. I’m out there selling Van Halen records and keeping the name alive, keeping the music alive.”

While Hagar sounds at peace, there’s clearly still tension. The two haven’t spoken in years, and despite sharing the legacy of one of rock’s biggest bands, there’s been no sign of reconciliation.

Why Sammy Thinks Alex Is Still Mad

Throughout the conversation, Hagar seemed genuinely puzzled about Alex’s ongoing grudge. His best guess? Jealousy. He said:

“I think Al’s angry because I’m out doing it, and Mike [Anthony] and I are out doing it, and he can’t.
“He’s not a singer. He’s not a guitar player. He is not really a band leader. And he seems like he doesn’t want to play drums or can’t play drums anymore, and he can’t go write a new record.”

According to Hagar, Alex’s role in Van Halen—while essential—wasn’t the creative engine. Hagar said:

“Alex wasn’t the songwriter in the band. He was the drummer. Eddie and I wrote the songs. Dave [Lee Roth] and Eddie wrote the songs, and so we can go out and do them.
“And I think that really bothers him that Mike and I are still out there doing it.”

He added:

“I would feel bad. If I put myself in his shoes, I would feel terrible if I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Still the Happy Rocker

Hagar, now 77, is as active as ever. His Best of All Worlds residency in Las Vegas kicks off April 30 and will spotlight Van Halen classics. He also dropped a new track, “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight,” which was inspired by a dream about Eddie Van Halen. Incredibly, he recently dreamt of Alex, too. Hagar said:

“It was crazy. And it was so friggin’ real.
“I was saying, ‘What are you pissed off at me about, man? What the fuck? Now just tell me what your problem is. What did I do? Just tell me.’”

In the dream, Alex just laughed and said, “You really don’t know, do you?” Then it turned surreal: “Let’s flip a coin, and heads, I’ll tell you, tails, suffer,” Hagar recalled.

“Now that’s a fucking pretty realistic dream.”

Even after all the drama, Sammy’s still the guy smiling through it—maybe that’s what really drives people crazy.