Alex Van Halen expressed his views about former bandmate Sammy Hagar during an interview with Brazilian music journalist Marcelo Vieira, published earlier this month. When asked about Hagar's 2011 memoir, "Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock," Alex stated, "I don’t know what he wrote, and I don’t wanna know. In my opinion, Sammy Hagar is a complete idiot." Hagar responded to Alex's comments in an Instagram comment, stating, "This comment and post is so unnecessary at this time in our lives, but I guess the truth hurts sometimes. Peace already."
The ongoing tension between the former bandmates has persisted for over two decades, with Hagar noting that they have not spoken during this time. Alex declined an invitation to join Hagar and former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony for their 2024 "Best of All Worlds" tour, stating, "I’m not interested. They’re not doing the band justice. They can do what they want to do. That’s not my business."
In his 2024 memoir, "Brothers," Alex focused primarily on Van Halen's original lineup with David Lee Roth and largely omitted Hagar's tenure with the band. He remarked, "What happened after Dave left is not the same band. I’m not saying it was better or worse or any of that... But the magic was in the first years, when we didn’t know what we were doing, when we were willing to try anything."
Earlier this year, Hagar indicated that he would "never play" with Alex again, comparing their relationship to that of David Gilmour and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. Hagar also suggested that Alex's health issues may have contributed to their strained relationship, stating that he believes Alex is upset that he and Anthony continue to perform Van Halen songs without him. Hagar mentioned that he and Anthony reached out to Alex multiple times regarding the tour but received no response.
Hagar expressed his feelings about the situation, saying, "If I put myself in his shoes, I would feel terrible if I couldn’t do it anymore."