Sammy Hagar revealed today that he had secretly been in contact with Eddie Van Halen for the last few months, before the Van Halen guitarist's sudden passing yesterday.
The two famously hadn't spoke since the Van Halen reunion tour ended in 2004, but the friendship was rekindled in the last few months of Eddie's life. Hagar made the revelation in a note passed to The Howard Stern Show on SiriusXM this morning.
The note wrote: "Eddie and I had been texting, and it's been a love fest since we started communicating earlier this year. We both agreed not to tell anyone, because of all the rumors it would stir up about a reunion, et cetera, and we both knew that wasn't gonna happen. But he also didn't want anyone to know about his health."
Sammy continued: "He stopped responding to me a month ago, and I figured it wasn't good. I reached out one more time last week, and when he didn't respond, I figured it was a matter of time. But it came way too soon."
As late as this past May, Hagar was saying he thought Van Halen would reunite. Hagar told Rolling Stone that “Until Ed or Alex Van Halen die, they’re not finished.” He says there was truth to the rumor that the band was talking with Michael Anthony, until Eddie's cancer diagnosis worsened. Hagar added that he heard Eddie "got it together," implying he's recovered from the bout with cancer, leading Hagar to predict “if there’s concerts next year, Van Halen will probably be on tour next year.”
Hagar said “I foresee it happening. I’m not trying to plant a seed like I know something is happening. I know nothing. I just know what I know in my heart and my head, which is that it has to happen. Whether it’s Sam and Dave or not, I don’t know that either. But I know that Eddie and I are not done. If enough water goes under the bridge before we die, it’ll happen. It has to. God is going to slap us both around if he has to.”
Naturally, Hagar envisioned a dream tour with both him and David Lee Roth on the road. “My dream tour is the Sam and Dave tour with Ed, Al and Mike. Let [Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie’s son who replaced Anthony for the DLR reunion] put his band together and open. I have a son, Andrew Hagar, who makes great music. Let Andrew open, let Wolfie play with his band in the middle and then have the Sam and Dave tour where we do an hour each. An hour with Dave songs and an hour with me.”
Sadly it will never come to be. Van Halen forever.
