Besides sharing a childhood, Alex Van Halen and his brother, Eddie, joined forces to create the iconic rock band Van Halen. While remembered as the band that helped thrust hard rock to the forefront of the music industry, Van Halen sold over 80 million albums thanks to records like Women and Children First and Diver Down. And throughout the decades, Van Halen helmed several tours and even gained entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Sadly, in October 2020, Eddie passed away. With Alex still mourning his brother’s death, the musician opened up about what the future holds for unreleased music from Eddie.
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Sitting down on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, Alex discussed the possibility of releasing music from Eddie. “I’ve talked about it loosely, and I am rather superstitious, but I can say a couple of things that I’ve mentioned before. We’re gonna go through the, quote-unquote, vault and go through some of the musical ideas that were there.”
Not wanting to turn his brother’s legacy into a cash grab, Alex promised Eddie left behind more than a few songs. “Probably three or four records, if not more. I’m serious. There was some good stuff, some good stuff in there. And you have to remember, when in the thick of it, sometimes the really great stuff kind of passes you by. And it’s not until you revisit it going, ‘Whoa, I forgot about that. This kicks ass.’ But that takes time. And you wanna do it right. I wanna do it right.”
[RELATED: Alex Van Halen Recalls the Jealousy David Lee Roth Had for Eddie Van Halen]
Alex Van Halen Believes Eddie Is Still Around
With Alex still coping with the passing of his brother, he offered a glimpse into his daily struggles. “It’s hard to describe what it’s like to not have someone in your life that has been there for 65 years. That’s a long, long time, and it wasn’t just a regular — and I’m not giving other people a hard time in terms of ‘my relationship was stronger than yours’. That’s not the point. It’s just that when you have something that’s taken out of your life after 65 years, it’s difficult.”
Using art to help guide him, Alex released his memoir titled Brothers. Finding peace in the project, the musician explained, “This is my way of saying goodbye to him. And whatever you believe in terms of spiritual pursuits and all that, I think he’s still here, he’s still here with us in one way, shape or form — not to the point where he’s not allowed to go where he really wants to go.”
(Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)
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