David Lee Roth: I don’t know if Eddie Van Halen will tour again

David Lee Roth onstage with Eddie Van Halen in 2015 (Image credit: Daniel Knighton - Getty)

David Lee Roth says he’s unsure if Eddie Van Halen will ever tour again.

Roth was speaking this week to the New York Times about what life has been like for him during lockdown and the inspiration behind his frog-themed illustrations which the singer has been sharing on Instagram.

During the conversation, Roth was asked if he thought Van Halen – who haven’t played live since 2015 – would ever tour again.

Roth replied: “I don’t know that Eddie Van Halen is ever really going to rally for the rigours of the road again. I don’t even want to say I’ve waited… I’ve supported for five years.

“Because what I do is physical as well as musical and spiritual – you can’t take five years off from the ring. But I did. And I do not regret a second of it.”

Roth reported back in January that Eddie Van Halen was “not doing well” – a comment which came after much speculation surrounding Eddie’s health, with some online reports suggesting he had undergone treatment for throat cancer.

Now Roth adds: “He’s a band mate. We had a colleague down and he’s down now for enough time that I don’t know that he’s going to be coming back out on the road.”

In October last year, Roth caused a stir when he said he thought Van Halen were “finished” with the vocalist adding: “Van Halen isn’t going to be coming back in the fashion that you know. That being said, Eddie Van Halen’s got his own story to tell – it’s not mine to tell.”

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