Former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar recently opened up about a private conversation he had with Eddie Van Halen before the guitarist’s death — and it involved a secret plan to reunite and make music again.
Following the controversy surrounding Joe Satriani’s rumored involvement in a Van Halen-related project — and Jason Newsted’s bombshell claim that he was asked to join instead of original bassist Michael Anthony — Hagar now fronts The Best of All Worlds, a lineup featuring Satriani, Anthony, and drummer Kenny Aronoff. Though it’s not a full Van Halen reunion, the band still proudly carries the torch, playing the music fans love.
But according to Hagar, a real reunion almost happened.
In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Hagar revealed that Eddie had approached him privately with the idea.
“I miss the guy so much,” Hagar said. “Thank God we reconnected toward the end, otherwise I’d be heartbroken. I am anyway. But it was so important to me that we did connect in that last year.”
Hagar went further, explaining that Eddie had asked him to keep their talks secret — even from his own brother, drummer Alex Van Halen.
“Eddie said to me, ‘Don’t tell anyone about us talking because I don’t want to be answering questions about rumors of a reunion.’ But he said, ‘Next year, we’re gonna get together — we’re gonna make some noise. Let me beat this shit, and let’s do it.’ He goes, ‘Please don’t talk to anyone — not even Al.’”
“I’ve never said that to anyone, and I bet you Al is gonna have a fit,” Hagar added. “But Eddie said, ‘Don’t even talk to Al about this.’ I said, ‘Ed, I don’t talk to Al.’”
The rift between Hagar and Eddie after their rough 2004 tour was well known, and it took years for the two to mend their relationship. But Hagar always held out hope for a second chance.
“After the 2004 tour, with Eddie being in the condition he was in, I was very angry with him. But deep down, I hoped he would heal and become the Eddie I loved — the Eddie from the good times when we were writing songs like ‘Right Now,’ ‘When It’s Love,’ ‘Love Walks In,’ and ‘Top of the World.’”
Reflecting on what he lost with Eddie’s passing, Hagar added:
“He brought something out of me that just ain’t the same without him. At my age, you sit there and wonder: If Eddie was alive, could I reach that again? Now that dream is gone.”
