Van Halen went through their first major change 40 years ago this Tuesday (April 1st) in 1985 when it was announced that singer David Lee Roth left the band.
While Van Halen hired and had success with Sammy Hagar, Roth did well with his first three releases -- the EP Crazy From the Heat, and his first two albums -- Eat 'Em and Smile and Skyscraper.
In 1996, Van Halen parted ways with Hagar and Roth joined his former band to present an award at the MTV Video Music Awards, which led to nothing until 2001 when they got together again with Roth, this time to record a few songs.
Despite the differences between Roth and Eddie, Roth told us he was still willing to tour with the band, despite not being on speaking terms.
But nothing came of that and it wasn't until 2007 when Roth joined Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen for a tour.
Roth stuck around long enough for two more albums in 2012, A Different Kind of Truth, and Tokyo Dome Live in Concert in 2015.
Since then, Roth has released numerous singles; hosted podcasts on his website; and performed until March 2020. He announced his retirement in 2021, but was in talks with Alex and Michael Anthony about doing a Van Halen tribute tour following Eddie's death in 2020 that never materialized.
Roth will return to the stage this year with two shows -- the M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, Maryland on May 3rd, and the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California on September 12th.