Sammy Hagar recently criticized Alex Van Halen for not acknowledging the 40th anniversary of Van Halen’s “5150” album. He shared his frustration in a post on Instagram.
The former Van Halen frontman expressed disappointment over what he perceived as Alex Van Halen’s silence regarding the milestone anniversary of their collaborative work.
“Celebrating 40 Years of 5150! This record stands the test of time,” Hagar wrote. “We played six songs from it at the Vegas residency recently and the fans sang every word of every song.”
Hagar then directly addressed Alex Van Halen’s apparent lack of acknowledgment of the anniversary.
“You would think Alex Van Halen would post something about this anniversary of all of our 1st number one(many more to follow)??,” he continued.
The “5150” album marked Hagar’s first studio recording with Van Halen. It became the band’s first number-one album on the Billboard 200 chart.
This latest criticism adds fuel to an already heated feud between the two former bandmates that has been escalating throughout 2026. The conflict represents more than just a disagreement over anniversary acknowledgments. It reflects deeper tensions over Van Halen’s legacy and the band’s future direction.
Fox News reported that Hagar has stated he will never work with Alex Van Halen again. He compared their relationship to the notorious feud between Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Roger Waters. In a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine, Hagar made his position clear about any potential reconciliation.
“I feel that way about Alex Van Halen. They’re negative people,” Hagar said, drawing the parallel to Waters’ contentious relationship with his former Pink Floyd bandmates. The comparison highlights the depth of animosity between the two musicians. It suggests their differences may be irreconcilable.
Guitar Player noted that this ongoing feud spans over 20 years. The two musicians have not spoken since around 2005. The tension has intensified recently, with Hagar dismissing any possibility of reconciliation in multiple 2026 interviews. The conflict appears to stem from various issues, including disputes over the band’s legacy and Alex’s exclusion of Hagar from his 2024 memoir “Brothers.”
American Songwriter revealed that Hagar has emphasized Alex’s limitations as a performer without Eddie Van Halen. He stated that Alex “can’t go write a new record” and lacks the versatility to lead the band forward. This criticism comes as Alex plans a final Van Halen album with Steve Lukather. He is notably excluding both Hagar and original frontman David Lee Roth from the project.
