Sammy Hagar Reveals Biggest Regret Years After Eddie Van Halen's Death

Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar has one regret years after Eddie Van Halen's death.

Among the thousands of bands in the world, Van Halen made it to the top 20 best-selling artists of all-time list before its induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. It, however, faced a massive loss when its guitarist died in 2020.

Sammy Hagar Reveals What He Regrets About Van Halen

In an interview with USA Today, the former Van Halen singer confessed that he regrets the band's breakup and expressed his desire to get the members back together.

The late Eddie founded the band alongside his brother, Alex Van Halen, and Michael Anthony. Hagar joined Van Halen after David Lee Roth's departure.

"What happened with us at the end is just such a shame," Hagar said. "It's what happens when alcohol and drugs are involved and I'm going through a divorce, and man, it's such a shame."

The vocalist referred to their infamous breakup in 1996, saying that they parted ways on bad terms.

He had a chance to somewhat make his wish come true when Van Halen's reunion with him happened in 2003. The band continuously released new music and toured for years until Eddie's son, Wolfgang, joined them as a bass player in 2007.

The reunion was unfortunately cut short after the founding member's death in 2020. Eddie's son soon revealed the band would not continue as people "cannot have Van Halen without Eddie Van Halen."

Sammy Hagar on Missing Eddie Van Halen

Nearly three years have passed, but Hagar still mourns the guitarist. The vocalist expressed how much he misses the late member already and how they could be headlining all the festivals if he was still alive.

"Can you imagine Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar saying to each other 'We don't have anything to prove, let's go in the studio, see what we got.' Oh, brother, I got goosebumps, goosebumps," he went on.

Eddie Van Halen died of throat cancer in 2020. But his death certificate cited different health issues as the causes of his passing. The official document revealed that the guitarist suffered from a cerebrovascular accident or stroke, pneumonia, lung cancer, and bone marrow disorder myelodysplastic syndrome.

Before Eddie's death, he spent years in and out of hospital due to intestinal issues.