Alex Van Halen Knighted, Reunites With Roth, Slams Hagar

Drummer Alex Van Halen was appointed a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion on September 1. The ceremony took place in Nijmegen, the Dutch city where he and his late brother Eddie spent much of their childhood, and was presided over by Mayor Hubert Bruls.

This honor caps a summer filled with notable developments for the Van Halen camp. The news spans from surprising reunions and public feuds to new music releases and solo projects from the band's members.

A Rare Reunion and Tour Troubles

On July 30, Alex Van Halen appeared onstage with former bandmate David Lee Roth at a TEDxFargo event. According to the source, this marked their first public appearance together since Van Halen's final show in 2015. The interview, conducted by artist Robert Vargas, is slated for a future YouTube release.

The reunion's timing was particularly noteworthy. Just one week prior, Roth had cancelled all his remaining 2026 tour dates, reportedly due to low ticket sales. His only scheduled performance was at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on August 7. Roth had earlier made headlines by joining Teddy Swims onstage at both Coachella and Stagecoach festivals in April.

An Invitation and an Insult

On the same day Roth's tour cancellations were announced, Sammy Hagar extended a public invitation. Hagar asked Roth to join his upcoming Las Vegas residency in late September, which also features former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony.

Alex Van Halen, however, has made his feelings about Hagar abundantly clear. In a newly published interview with Roadie Crew magazine, Alex was asked about Hagar's 2011 memoir. He responded, "In my opinion, Sammy Hagar is a complete idiot." This echoes previous criticism; in a 2024 Billboard interview, Alex said he felt Hagar and Anthony's "Best Of All Worlds" shows "weren't doing the band justice."

New Releases and Solo Ventures

Amid the interpersonal drama, the band's catalog is being revisited. Rhino Records announced a reissue of Van Halen's final studio album, A Different Kind Of Truth, for October 23. Originally released in 2012, that album featured the reunion of David Lee Roth with Eddie, Alex, and Wolfgang Van Halen.

This follows the expanded 40th anniversary edition of 5150, released in May, which celebrated the first Van Halen album to feature Sammy Hagar as frontman.

Separately, Wolfgang Van Halen continues his work with his band Mammoth. He recently highlighted a five-year-old social media comment from a critic who predicted he would be "playing all VH" within that timeframe. Wolfgang had set a calendar reminder for the date and used it to note he had, in fact, carved out his own path.

The summer of 2026 has been a busy period for Van Halen's legacy, marked by honor, reunion, rivalry, and reissues.