Sammy Hagar recently made headlines following remarks from David Lee Roth concerning him and Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang. In a recent interview with ABC Audio, Hagar affirmed his admiration for Van Halen’s ‘1984’ album despite Roth’s verbal jabs. The vocalist also confessed to feeling a pang of envy towards a specific song. Hagar elaborated:

“I was a huge fan of that record. You know, Eddie, I just fell in love with Eddie with that. You know, I felt I was in competition until I heard ‘Jump’ and the song went, you know, it was such a big hit. I just went, ‘Wow, they did it.’ I was mad, I was upset.”

Former Van Halen vocalists have long been at odds. David Lee Roth’s recent videos on his YouTube channel underscore this ongoing rift. Roth directed barbs at both Sammy and Wolfgang in these statements. Nevertheless, Hagar appears open to acknowledging Roth’s contributions to Van Halen, despite their animosity.

Amidst ongoing debates about which Van Halen vocalist reigns supreme, Hagar highlighted a key difference between himself and Roth. In a 2021 interview with Inside With Paulo Baron, the Red Rocker asserted that Roth’s focus was solely on himself. In contrast, Sammy expressed genuine concern for the impact of his actions and work on others. The former VH vocalist remarked:

“The difference between him and I is that I sincerely care – I care about everything I do and I care how it affects people and I care what they think. … I don’t think he cares about anything like that. And that’s the difference between our presence. He’s very much into himself, very much into being a showman, and doesn’t really care. I don’t know what he cares about, I really don’t. But I don’t know him. I have no idea who that guy is – I don’t think anyone does. But he entertains me. I enjoy watching him do stupid sh*t.”