Sammy Hagar Sends Message To Alex Van Halen: ‘Leave Me Alone. I’m Making You Money’

Sammy Hagar recently opened up about his estranged relationship with former Van Halen bandmate Alex Van Halen in a new interview with Rolling Stone. Hagar revealed the two haven’t spoken in 21 years, a silence underscored by Alex‘s refusal to mention Hagar by name in his recent memoir, “Brothers.”

When asked about the cause of the long-standing rift, Hagar shared several potential reasons he’s heard or speculated upon. One theory revolves around the success of Hagar‘s Cabo Wabo tequila brand and cantina.

“I’ve had this conversation with a few people, including [former Van Halen manager] Irving Azoff,” Hagar said. “…some people have said to me, ‘Oh, Cabo Wabo. At one time, Van Halen, when you built it, you guys were all partners in that. And then they didn’t want it anymore when it was losing money, and they gave it to you, and you turned it around and made hundreds of millions of dollars on it. And they’re angry. Alex is angry about that.'”

Hagar expressed disbelief at this possibility: “To that I said, ‘How the f*ck could they be angry about that? They gave me the damn thing, they walked out on me, left me with it. And they made me indemnify them in case I got sued and lost everything. They made me sign off big time.’ And I’m going, ‘I hope it’s not that.'”

Hagar also addressed whether his critical portrayal of Eddie Van Halen in his 2011 autobiography, “Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock,” contributed to the estrangement. “The book has been brought up,” Hagar acknowledged. “The book was honest. It was well documented that Eddie was a mess on that tour. But I don’t want to drag Eddie through no coals now. That’s just water under the bridge.”

The singer offered another theory rooted in potential professional jealousy and Alex‘s current situation. “I think Al‘s angry because I’m out doing it, and Mike [Anthony, former Van Halen bassist] and I are out doing it, and he can’t,” Hagar speculated. “He’s not a singer. He’s not a guitar player. He is not really a band leader. And he seems like he doesn’t want to play drums or can’t play drums anymore… Alex wasn’t the songwriter in the band. He was the drummer. Eddie and I wrote the songs. Dave [Lee Roth] and Eddie wrote the songs, and so we can go out and do them. And I think that really bothers him that Mike and I are still out there doing it.”

Hagar added: “If I put myself in his shoes, I would feel terrible if I couldn’t do it anymore. But I’m the happiest guy out of all of them. That p*sses people off in itself. Being too happy, people don’t like that.”

Acknowledging that Alex Van Halen has faced health issues and may have reasons to feel bitter, Hagar ultimately expressed acceptance of the situation. “Yeah, I’d say so. And I’m okay with it,” Hagar concluded. “Al, you’re fine. Just leave me alone. I’ll leave you alone. Everything’s good. I’m making you money, by the way, Al. I’m out there selling Van Halen records and keeping the name alive, keeping the music alive.”