Sammy Hagar Says David Lee Roth Won’t Appear on the Next Van Halen Album

Alex Van Halen has confirmed that a new album built from previously unreleased Van Halen recordings is moving forward, sending a jolt of excitement through the band’s global fanbase. In an interview with Brazilian YouTube channel KazaGastao, the drummer revealed that much of the material was originally intended for a full studio album that never reached completion before the death of his brother, legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen.

The project is being completed with assistance from Steve Lukather, who has stressed that his role is purely technical and advisory. Lukather has publicly vowed not to record any guitar parts, ensuring the album remains an authentic Van Halen creation. Eddie’s guitar tracks were recorded before his passing, Alex handled the drums, and Wolfgang Van Halen contributed bass, meaning three-quarters of the lineup from the band’s final studio album, A Different Kind of Truth (2012), will be represented.

The most pressing unresolved issue remains the vocals. Alex confirmed that Paul Rodgers was approached but declined due to health concerns. He also acknowledged that Robert Plant “would’ve been an ideal choice,” though the likelihood of the Led Zeppelin frontman’s involvement appears remote.

Why David Lee Roth Is Absent

Conspicuously absent from Alex’s comments were David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, signaling that neither of Van Halen’s iconic vocalists will be part of the project. For Roth, the reasons are rooted in a deeply fractured relationship.

In 2024, Alex revealed that a proposed tribute tour honoring Eddie collapsed after Roth refused to include an explicit acknowledgment of the late guitarist during performances. Speaking candidly to Rolling Stone, Alex recalled the moment that ended any possibility of reconciliation:

“The thing that broke the camel’s back, and I can be honest about this now, was I said, ‘Dave, at some point, we have to have a very overt — not a bowing — but an acknowledgment of Ed in the gig. If you look at how Queen does it, they show old footage.’ And the moment I said we gotta acknowledge Ed, Dave f—n’ popped a fuse. … The vitriol that came out was unbelievable.”

Though the confrontation never escalated beyond words, Alex admitted it was a turning point. “It’s just, my God. It’s like I didn’t know him anymore,” he said. “I have nothing but the utmost respect for his work ethic and all that. But, Dave, you gotta work as a community, motherf—er. It’s not you alone anymore.”

The Deeper Divide With Sammy Hagar—and the Legacy Question

Alex’s estrangement from Hagar stretches back even further, to the publication of Hagar’s 2011 autobiography, Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock. In the book, Hagar described Eddie Van Halen’s struggles with alcoholism in vivid detail, including the condition of his home during one visit. Alex reportedly viewed those passages as a profound betrayal of his brother’s privacy.

Following Eddie’s death, Hagar publicly expressed remorse. “I apologize from the bottom of my heart for exposing his dark side to where I don’t think anyone wants to hear that now,” he said. “If I could do it over, I would only put the good of Eddie Van Halen.”

Hagar has since claimed to have made multiple attempts to reconcile—leaving messages for Alex, inviting him to participate in his Van Halen–celebrating tour, and expressing hope that their friendship could be repaired, even without future collaboration. Alex has remained largely silent, but his stance was underscored by his 2024 memoir, Brothers, which largely omits Van Halen’s Hagar era.

Hagar responded sharply, writing on social media, “Alex is not doing his brother’s musical legacy justice by not acknowledging all the No. 1 albums and some great music Eddie and I wrote together… To not acknowledge [those] 10 years of music is blasphemy to his brother’s musicianship, songwriting and legacy.”

As the unreleased Van Halen album moves closer to completion, it stands at the intersection of reverence and revisionism. While Alex appears determined to protect his brother’s memory on his own terms, the absence of both Roth and Hagar ensures the record will also reopen long-standing debates about who gets to define Van Halen’s history. For fans, the music may offer a final glimpse of Eddie Van Halen’s genius—but the unresolved tensions behind it underscore just how complicated preserving a legendary legacy can be.