LAS VEGAS (CelebrityAccess) — David Lee Roth, the original lead singer of the legendary metal band Van Halen revealed plans to retire.
“I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” Roth told the Las Vegas Review-Journal during a phone interview. “This is the first, and only, official announcement. You’ve got the news. Share it with the world.”
Roth first rose to prominence as the lead singer for the band Van Halen, joining brothers Alex Van Halen on drums and Eddie Van Halen on guitar, and striking gold in 1978 with their eponymously named debut album.
In 1985, Roth exited the band amid creative differences, shortly after releasing an eclectic solo album of pop standards.
Van Halen reunited with the group briefly in 1996 but continued to record and perform as a solo artist until 2007 when the group reunited again with Roth on the microphone.
Van Halen finally disbanded last year, seemingly for good, following the death of Eddie Van Halen in October 2020.
Roth’s retirement announcement, which comes almost a year after the dead of his former bandmate, acknowledged the loss of Roth’s longtime creative colleague, noting that he had been thinking about the “departure of my beloved classmate.”
“I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter,” Roth added.
Roth is currently lined up for a residency at House of Blues in Las Vegas, with five shows set for early 2022. According to Roth, those will be his final shows.
“I’ve given you all I’ve got to give. It’s been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody. I’ll miss you all. Stay frosty,” he told the Journal Review.
