Van Halen has always been famous not only for their music but for their revolving-door history of lead singers.

The band went from David Lee Roth to Sammy Hagar, then to Gary Cherone, then back to Roth, then to Hagar, and finally back to Roth again.

Every era began with unity and ended in flames.

Somewhere in the middle of all those transitions, the band even created what many consider the worst song of their entire career—but we’ll get to that part later.

 

When Roth left to pursue a solo career, Sammy Hagar stepped in during 1985.

What followed was an era of massive success: four consecutive No.

1 albums—5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, and Balance.

Fans nicknamed this era “Van Hagar. ” They scored nine No.1 hits on the rock charts.

But by 1996, tension exploded.

According to Sammy, trouble began when longtime manager Ed Leffler died and was replaced by Ray Daniels, Alex Van Halen’s brother-in-law.

Sammy claimed Daniels “poisoned” Eddie against him, making Eddie believe Sammy was trying to turn Van Halen into a band centered around himself.

Sammy denied this, saying he simply hated Daniels and was iced out because of it.

 

Things blew up when Daniels pushed the band to record two new songs for a Greatest Hits album.

Sammy didn’t want to—his wife was pregnant, he wanted a break, and both Eddie and Alex were dealing with health issues.

While Sammy was in Hawaii, Eddie called and effectively fired him on Father’s Day.

Sammy insists he didn’t quit and wanted to work things out.

Eddie insists Sammy left on his own. Either way, the result was the same: Van Halen was suddenly singer-less again.

 

To finish the Greatest Hits tracks, they brought Roth back.

At first, the reunion felt surprisingly smooth.

Eddie and Roth collaborated easily with producer Glen Ballard, recording Can’t Get This Stuff No More and Me Wise Magic—and Me Wise Magic became one of the strongest songs of the band’s late years.

Hopes rose for a full Roth reunion… until the MTV Video Music Awards in 1996.

 

Onstage, Roth tried to turn their appearance into a “we’re officially back together” moment.

He rambled, gestured, and basked in the spotlight, while Eddie visibly tensed.

Roth claimed later that Eddie snapped at him backstage, saying, “Tonight is my night, not your movie.”

 

Eddie claimed the opposite: that Roth acted unpredictably, and that when Eddie asked what was going on, Roth shot back, “Tonight is my night, man.” Eddie warned him, “Say that to me again and better wear a cup.”

The next day, Eddie publicly announced the reunion was never meant to be permanent.

Roth fired back in the press, calling it a setup.

Meanwhile, Ray Daniels—still managing the band and also managing Gary Cherone from the newly disbanded Extreme—suggested Gary as the next singer.

To everyone’s surprise, Eddie and Gary clicked immediately.

After just two days, Eddie told Gary he “had the job.” Gary moved into Eddie’s guest house.

Not everyone in the band was thrilled about such a sudden decision, but it was set.

 

In 1998, Van Halen III was released—a heavily experimental album essentially controlled by Eddie.

He played nearly all the bass parts himself (Michael Anthony only appears on three tracks).

The sound was strange, sometimes unfocused, sometimes brilliant but underdeveloped.

Without You sounded more like Extreme than Van Halen.

How Many Say I, with Eddie on lead vocals for the first time, became the most widely mocked song in Van Halen history.

 

The album bombed both commercially and critically.

Before Gary left in 1999, they had begun writing material for a second album—and one song, Left for Dead, later appeared on Gary’s new band’s record.

That second Van Halen 3 record might have saved the era, had it been finished.

The Van Halen 3 tour featured a surprising setlist full of Roth-era classics that Sammy had refused to sing.

Gary delivered everything—he could handle Hagar’s high range and Roth’s lower swagger.

But the tour sold poorly.

Exhausted and pressured, Gary eventually left the band in 1999.

 

In 2000, Van Halen nearly completed a new album with Roth.

But, as usual, arguments destroyed the momentum.

The band slipped into a long period of silence.

During this time, Eddie relapsed into alcohol, cocaine, and worsening personal struggles—and then he was diagnosed with tongue cancer.

One-third of his tongue was surgically removed in 2001.

He had to relearn how to speak.

 

His marriage to Valerie Bertinelli fell apart.

Valerie later said Eddie refused to stop smoking even after his diagnosis.

Eddie believed his cancer came from years of holding copper and nickel guitar picks in his mouth, not from cigarettes or alcohol.

He was declared cancer-free in 2002.

This was also when the infamous “Eddie pulled a gun on Fred Durst to retrieve his guitar” story emerged—a story Eddie reportedly confirmed as true.

 

In 2004, the band reunited with Sammy for the Best of Both Worlds album and an 80-date tour.

But Eddie, deep in alcohol abuse, performed poorly.

The tour was miserable for everyone.

Michael Anthony was only allowed to participate if he agreed to reduced pay and to relinquish all rights to the Van Halen name.

It was Michael’s final tour—and Sammy’s as well.

 

In 2007, the band reunited with Roth once again, this time with Wolfgang Van Halen replacing Michael.

Wolfgang had been the one to push for the reunion and contacted Roth’s management himself.

In 2009, Eddie married Janie Liszewski.

 

In 2012, Van Halen released their final album, A Different Kind of Truth.

Much of it was based on 1970s demos, but fans who embraced it praised the heavy riffs, the revitalized energy, and Eddie’s renewed creativity.

Though the lack of Michael’s signature harmonies was noticeable, the album was still a powerful late-career statement.

 

The 2012 tour was a huge success, grossing nearly $55 million.

It was followed by a live album (Tokyo Dome Live in Concert, 2015) and a final tour—the last Van Halen would ever perform.

 

In the years that followed, Eddie’s health declined. He secretly traveled to Europe for treatments unavailable in the U.S.

In 2017, doctors reportedly told him he had only months to live, but he ended up surviving several more years.

During this period, Eddie envisioned a “Kitchen Sink Tour”—a massive reunion featuring every Van Halen singer: Roth, Sammy, Cherone, Michael, Wolfgang… everyone.

But his health made the plan impossible.

 

Eddie Van Halen passed away on October 6, 2020, in Santa Monica, surrounded by Valerie and Wolfgang.

Before he died, he and Sammy reconciled through text messages.

 

His legacy remains unmatched: a guitarist who reinvented the instrument, revived hard rock after the disco era, and built one of the greatest live acts in music history.

 

Drama continued afterward—Roth criticized Wolfgang in several videos, calling him “an idiot kid,” accusing him of nepotism.

Wolfgang kept his cool, saying Roth was difficult to work with and the main reason an Eddie tribute show never happened.

 

Despite the fractures, Van Halen ended their story in the most appropriate way: Eddie, Alex, Wolfgang, and Roth—imperfect, volatile, legendary, and unforgettable.