Sammy Hagar recently made pointed comments about his former Van Halen bandmate Alex Van Halen, comparing him to Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters in terms of negativity, as reported by Louder Sound.
The Red Rocker expressed his frustration with what he perceives as negative attitudes from certain musicians. He drew parallels between different band dynamics.
“I don’t have time for negativity,” Hagar said. “I’m the biggest Pink Floyd fan. I see David Gilmour say: ‘I will never play with Roger Waters again’, and I know what he means.”
Hagar then directly addressed his feelings about his former Van Halen bandmate.
“I feel that way about Alex Van Halen,” he continued. “They’re negative people.”
The comments suggest that Hagar, like Gilmour with Waters, has no intention of working with Alex Van Halen again. He characterizes Alex as having a negative attitude.
These latest remarks come amid ongoing tensions between the former bandmates that have persisted for years. The rift between Hagar and Alex Van Halen has deep roots. It extends beyond personal disagreements to professional disputes about the band’s legacy and future direction.
American Songwriter reported that Hagar recently expressed disappointment about being excluded from Alex Van Halen’s upcoming archival project. The project involves finishing unreleased Van Halen tracks featuring Eddie Van Halen’s guitar work. Wolfgang Van Halen will contribute bass parts and Steve Lukather will assist with the recordings.
“No. We haven’t been asked, number one,” Hagar said during an appearance on Rock of Nations, referring to both himself and bassist Michael Anthony. Ultimate Classic Rock noted that Hagar stated he was “disappointed” that neither he nor Anthony had been invited to participate in the archival Van Halen project as of February 2026.
The exclusion from this project represents another chapter in the ongoing discord between the Van Halen camp and its former members. Blabbermouth confirmed that both Hagar and Anthony have not been asked to contribute to Alex Van Halen’s project with Steve Lukather. This comes despite their significant contributions to the band’s catalog during the late 1980s and 1990s.
This latest development adds fuel to the long-standing tensions that have prevented any meaningful Van Halen reunion involving all surviving members. The divide appears to have grown wider since Eddie Van Halen’s death in 2020. Different factions of the band’s legacy are now moving in separate directions.
