Sammy Hagar accuses Alex Van Halen of ‘blasphemy’
Sammy Hagar has sparked a new controversy over Alex Van Halen, accusing him of “blasphemy” for completely ignoring Van Halen’s years of success with him as lead singer. The accusation comes following the publication of the book “Brothers”, written by the drummer and focused on the relationship with his brother Eddie Van Halen, who passed away in 2020.
The autobiography then retraces Alex’s life together with his brother Eddie, from childhood to the formation of the “Jump” band. The book ends with the band’s split from David Lee Roth in 1985 and makes no mention at all of the subsequent “Van Hagar” era – as the group’s output with Hagar on vocals is known, during which the lineup reached new commercial and artistic heights . Alex Van Halen justified this omission by stating: “What happened after Dave left is not about the band itself. The magic was in the early years, when we didn’t know what we were doing; when we were willing to try anything.”
Sammy Hagar’s reaction was not long in coming. After posting a photo from 1991 on Instagram, which portrays him with Eddie Van Halen shortly before going on stage, the singer initially joked about the clothes of those years. However, the tone changed after fans’ comments.
One user wrote: “My dad always said the Roth era was for partying; the one with Sammy was for the music.” Another added: “It’s okay to like Van Halen with Sammy, even if Alex doesn’t anymore.” These remarks triggered a sharp response from Hagar, who wanted to underline the fundamental contribution of his era with the band: “It could have ended there, my friend, but instead we sold over 50 million records, had number one albums and made selling out every arena and stadium in the world for an entire decade. This has never happened again.”
Hagar then took things further:
“Alex is not doing his brother’s musical legacy justice by ignoring all the number one albums and the great music Eddie and I wrote together – not Alex – but Eddie and I. Not recognizing those 10 years of music is blasphemy to his brother’s talent, songwriting and legacy.”
Despite the tensions, Sammy Hagar recently expressed her desire to reconcile with Alex Van Halen. “It’s something on my to-do list. I don’t want to take this to my grave, and I don’t want Al to either. I’d love to play with him, but that’s not what I’m looking for. I just want to be friends again,” the singer said.
