Just In:Former VAN HALEN singer breaks silence, says he’s “PISSED” about being removed from the band’s history.

In a recent interview that has stirred waves of conversation across the rock music community, former Van Halen lead vocalist Sammy Hagar broke his silence and opened up about his deep frustration regarding his removal from the band’s history. The legendary frontman, who fronted the band from 1985 to 1996, voiced his displeasure at what he perceives as an effort to erase his contributions to the group’s iconic legacy.

For years, fans and critics alike have debated the contrasting eras of Van Halen, particularly the disparity between the David Lee Roth era, which marked the band’s meteoric rise to fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the Sammy Hagar years, during which the band enjoyed some of their greatest commercial success. While Roth is undoubtedly synonymous with the band’s early sound, Hagar’s era brought a different level of maturity and commercial success, including smash hits like “Why Can’t This Be Love” and “Finish What Ya Started.”

However, Hagar’s relationship with the band and its legacy has been a contentious one, particularly in the years following his departure. The tensions that bubbled over in the late ’90s and early 2000s reached a boiling point when Hagar was effectively removed from the narrative of Van Halen’s history. This began with the band’s official website, which over time, minimized Hagar’s tenure and contribution to the band’s success, choosing instead to focus on the Roth era or even the more recent reunion with David Lee Roth in the late 2010s.

In a new interview, Hagar voiced his displeasure, saying, “I’m pissed. I’m pissed that they erased me, that they pretend like I wasn’t part of the success of this band.” For fans of Van Halen who lived through the band’s more commercially successful period in the late ’80s and ’90s, Hagar’s departure in 1996 left a lasting void. Not only did the band release numerous platinum-selling albums during his time as their lead singer, but they also sold out arenas and stadiums worldwide. The 1986 album 5150 and its follow-up OU812 were both massive hits, with the former topping the Billboard 200 chart.

The Strained Relationship with the Band

The acrimonious relationship between Sammy Hagar and the remaining members of Van Halen—guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Michael Anthony—has been well-documented over the years. In interviews, Hagar has often alluded to his rocky relationship with Eddie Van Halen, claiming that the guitarist’s controlling nature and unpredictable behavior contributed to his decision to leave the band in 1996. Hagar described the final years of his tenure as “hell on earth,” saying that he would have left even sooner if not for the band’s enormous success and the camaraderie he shared with the other members of the group, particularly Michael Anthony.

Despite their turbulent relationship, Hagar acknowledges the undeniable musical chemistry between him and the band during his time with Van Halen. “Eddie and I had a special connection,” he reflected. “When we were locked in, we were unbeatable. But you can only take so much of the madness.”

In 2004, the band famously reunited with Hagar for the Van Halen: 2004 Reunion Tour, which was met with commercial success and massive fanfare. However, it was short-lived. The reunion was marred by behind-the-scenes drama, with Hagar ultimately leaving once again in 2005, citing creative differences and personal disputes with Eddie Van Halen. Shortly thereafter, the band began working with Roth again, and while there were rumors of another reunion, Hagar’s presence in the band seemed all but erased.

Van Halen’s Official History and Erasure of Hagar’s Era

While the Van Halen brothers (Eddie and Alex) and their manager, Irving Azoff, have always been vocal about their fondness for the early Roth era of the band, Hagar’s tenure seems to have been pushed to the sidelines. Over the years, Van Halen’s official website and press materials have consistently downplayed Hagar’s time with the band. In fact, many of the band’s greatest achievements during his time as frontman have been overshadowed by an emphasis on Roth’s return or Eddie Van Halen’s legendary guitar work. Even when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, Michael Anthony—who had been Hagar’s main musical partner—was excluded from the reunion.

In his interview, Hagar pointed out the irony of the situation. “They all seem to forget that I was there for some of the biggest, most successful years of the band,” he said. “We weren’t just riding on Eddie’s guitar solos. We were a tight band, and I was a big part of that. I’ll never understand why they’ve chosen to erase that.”

Hagar’s exclusion from Van Halen’s narrative has been a sore subject for many fans who see his contributions as vital to the band’s history.