The final conversation between Sammy Hagar and Eddie Van Halen: “Poor Eddie, broke my heart”
Within the history of American rock, there are few acts whose names command the same respect as Van Halen. Spearheaded by the legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen, the band was first formed in 1972 but found breakout success in the late 1970s and early 1980s as titans of American rock. Aside from Eddie, one of the things that made the group so appealing was the frontman David Lee Roth, which meant that Sammy Hagar had big shoes to fill when he took the mantle in 1985.
Roth had parted ways with Van Halen following an extensive 1984 tour. The reason for the split is the same reason given for 99 per cent of band arguments: ‘musical differences’. Roth presumably realised that his creative control over the band was limited, given that it was Eddie Van Halen’s name on the records, T-shirts and stage backdrops. So, the search was on to replace the distinctive style of Roth.
Think about how you met your closest friends – maybe you went to school with them, grew up on the same road, or met at a gig. Well, in a case of unbelievable rock and roll excess, Van Halen was first introduced to Sammy Hagar through a Ferrari mechanic, which the pair shared. The pair hit it off, and Hagar proved himself to be an adequate replacement for Roth, helping to produce some of the band’s best-loved records, including the likes of Balance, 5150 and OU812.
For over a decade, the line-up of Van Halen seemed uncharacteristically harmonious. They were producing countless charting hits and seminal rock records, playing countless shows to thousands of adoring fans, and generally living the life of rock and roll excess. Inevitably, though, colossal musical egos got in the way of a good time. The relationship between Eddie Van Halen and Hagar started to break down, with ‘musical differences’ rearing its ugly head once again. Reportedly, Van Halen wanted to put out a greatest hits album, while Hagar thought the group should focus on recording original material.
These tensions came to a head after Hagar was summoned to Los Angeles with his heavily pregnant wife, who had been in Hawaii awaiting a natural birth, to record new material. After the couple were informed they couldn’t fly back to Hawaii afterwards, a vicious argument ensued, which culminated in Hagar’s departure from the group. He was quickly replaced, first by David Lee Roth and finally by Gary Cherone.
The pair had gone their separate ways, and each would enjoy a successful career. The arguments between the two musicians meant that the pair had been in no contact for years, something which Hagar would regret as Van Halen’s health deteriorated. Van Halen had been plagued by health issues, including tongue and throat cancer, which began to catch up with him. “Poor Eddie, broke my heart,” Hagar recalled, “but thank God we connected before [he died],” he added.
Reconnecting with his ex-bandmate proved difficult, as he no longer had Van Halen’s phone number. Hagar would call everybody he could think of who might be able to put him in contact with the legendary guitarist, but to no avail. Eventually, the pair got on the phone together, as Hagar remembers, “I said, ‘Why don’t you respond? I’ve been reaching out,’ and Ed said, ‘Why didn’t you call me? Don’t fucking call my brother, fucking call me!’” finally adding, “And I said, ‘I love you man,’ and it was like, boom, we were good. It was a beautiful thing”.
