David Lee Roth an American rock musician and Eddie Van Halen videos

Van Halen’s David Lee Roth, 66, set to retire from rock a year after Eddie Van Halen’s death

DAVID Lee Roth announced he’s planning to retire a year after the death of bandmate Eddie Van Halen.

The 66-year-old rocker, who joined Van Halen in the early 1970s, confirmed that his final performance will be in Las Vegas early next year.

The Van Halen hitmaker will bid adieu to the world of rock ‘n’ roll with five solo shows at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay starting from New Year’s Eve to Saturday, January 8.

Confirming his retirement, David told the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring. This is the first – and only – official announcement.

“You’ve got the news. Share it with the world. I’m not going to explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows.”

The musician’s retirement announcement comes a year after bandmate Eddie Van Helen’s died at age 65.

David admitted the passing pushed him to take stock of his own life.

He added: “[I’ve been contemplating] the departure of my beloved classmate recently.

“I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter. I thought I might have been the first, frankly.

“And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go onstage, I endanger that future.”

Van Halen co-founder Eddie passed away at St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica, California with his wife Janie by his side last October.

The rocker passed away just 10 days after original Van Halen bassist Mark Stone also died from cancer.

Eddie’s son Wolfgang confirmed the news of his death at the time with a heartbreaking tribute to his father on social media.

The 29-year-old wrote: “I can’t believe I’m having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning.”

Wolfgang, who has filled in as the band’s bassist since replacing Michael Anthony in 2006, continued: “He was the best father I could ever ask for.

“Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift. My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss. I love you so much, Pop.”

EDDIE’S DIAGNOSIS

Eddie was first diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2000 and had to have a third of his tongue removed.

He was declared cancer-free a couple of years later, but TMZ reported in 2019 that his cancer had returned, only this time it was in his throat.

The rocker had been reportedly flying back and forth between the United States and Germany for five years to get radiation treatment.

Sources told the outlet that the treatment seemed to be keeping the throat cancer in check and that Eddie was doing well, but that all took a turn after it spread to his brain and other organs.

The Netherlands-born, California-raised rock icon shared one child, son Wolfgang, with ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli, who he was married to from 1981 to 2007.

After his death was confirmed, rock’s biggest stars, including Kiss’ Gene Simmons, Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne and members of Aerosmith, paid tribute to him online.

Van Halen formed in California in 1972 with Eddie, his brother Alex as drummer, David on vocals and Michael Anthony as bassist until 1985 when Eddie and Roth famously fell out.

Following the bust-up, the band went through several different line-ups, but Roth eventually returned to the group in January 2007 as they embarked on a new 40-date tour.

The band went on to release their final album together, A Different Kind Of Truth, in 2012 and remained an active band until Eddie’s death last year.

David Lee Roth announces retirement: ‘I am throwing in the shoes’

David Lee Roth, the iconic rock star known for fronting Van Halen a number of times, has announced his retirement.

The 66-year-old musician confirmed the news in a phone call with the Las Vegas Review-Journal recently.

“I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” he said. ” This is the first, and only, official announcement.”

He told the outlet that since they’ve “got the news,” they can “share it with the world.”

Roth plans to finish by playing a series of shows at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas late this year and early next.

The shows will take place on Dec. 31, 2021, and Jan. 1, 5, 7 and 8.

The musician, known for his high-energy and even kooky on-stage presence, added: “I’m not going to explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows.”

Tickets for the final show will be on sale beginning on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 10 a.m. PT.

Reps for Mandalay Bay did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.

When speaking to the Review-Journal, Roth asked the interviewer to “try not to interrupt,” as he was “going to close my eyes and take you on a ride.”

He revealed that he had recently spoken with Alex Van Halen, drummer with the iconic rock band, and he was aware of Roth’s upcoming announcement.

“Al and I have been talking, and I can’t speak for him just yet, but he knows what I am about to say,” he explained. “We speak to each other constantly, two or three times a day. We laugh like pirates.”

It’s unclear what Roth was referring to when he said he couldn’t “speak for” Van Halen. Fox News has reached out to the drummer’s reps for comment.

Roth said that the recent “departure of my beloved classmate” – a clear reference to the late Eddie Van Halen – had been on his mind recently, and made note of his upcoming 67th birthday on Oct. 10.

“I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter,” Roth said.

He admitted that he expected to be “the first” member of Van Halen to pass away.

“‘Hey Ed, objects in the rear-view mirror are probably me,’” the musician said. “And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go on stage, I endanger that future.”

He explained that for 50 years, he gave audiences his all, as he would ask any performer on stage to do, “whether you come out with a ukulele or a marching band.”

Roch recalled his early days with the band when they’d be paid less than $200 per night, spending most of the money on gas.

“It was the Saturday Night Supper Club, we’d get there at 3 in the morning, and order everything on the menu, all three three banana splits, the Grand Slam Breakfasts with the bacon, and the ones with the sausage,” Roth remembered. “We pulled two tables together … This cop came walking in — this was Cop Town — and asked, ‘Who are you all?’ I said, ‘Sir, we’re a rock ‘n’ roll band!’ He said, ‘Do you have enough money to pay for all this?’ And we all pulled our $125 green, crisp, sweat-through-your-[expletive[-shoes, money.”

He added that he remembers those days “like they were yesterday” and recently reminisced on that very story with Alex Van Halen recently.

“I just found some pants upstairs. I save some of the old clothes,” revealed the star, who was also known for colorful and fashion-forward outfits. “I was a size 29. Eddie was a size 26. That’s where we came from.”

“I’ve got a band that is doing what Al and I used to call a ‘block,’ that means 75 rehearsals for one show,” Roth said of his upcoming shows. “We are bringing it in classic VH style. Alex and I are the only version, that was his message. There is no other variation. There is no torch being passed. There is no other side to this coin. This is classic, in-your-face Van Halen.”

He concluded saying that his career has “been an amazing, great run,” adding that he has “no regrets, nothing to say about anybody.”

The rocker added: “I’ll miss you all. Stay frosty.”

David Lee Roth – Just Like Paradise

David Lee Roth Officially Announces His Retirement

Van Halen legend and rock showman David Lee Roth has officially announced that he will be retiring after the conclusion of his recently announced Las Vegas residency.

“I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring. This is the first, and only, official announcement… You’ve got the news. Share it with the world,” said Roth in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal after recollecting some moments from Van Halen’s earliest days together.

The announcement comes just days after Roth confirmed a Las Vegas residency at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day as well as January 5, 7 and 8.

“I’m not going to explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows,” Roth, who will turn 67 in October, confirmed.

“I’ve got a band that is doing what Al [Alex Van Halen] and I used to call a ‘block,’ that means 75 rehearsals for one show,” he explained. “We are bringing it in classic VH [Van Halen] style. Alex and I are the only version, that was his message. There is no other variation. There is no torch being passed. There is no other side to this coin. This is classic, in-your-face Van Halen.”

‘Diamond Dave’ gave no indication whether this meant that drummer Alex Van Halen would take part in any of the upcoming shows as his message was a tad cryptic, as is typical of many things the singer says.

“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,” Roth concluded.

Earlier this year, Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx revealed that Roth was offered a spot on the band’s reunion tour, but declined because he stipulated that he does not open for bands he influenced. Had he accepted, Roth’s retirement from live performance would have been pushed back to mid-to-late 2022 when the long-awaited ‘Stadium Tour’ is set to get underway.

How old is David Lee Roth?

VAN Halen rocker David Lee Roth announced he will be retiring in January of next year.

The musician’s retirement announcement came a year after his bandmate, Eddie Van Halen, died of cancer in October 2020.

Who is David Lee Roth?

David is est known for his lead singer role in the rock band, Van Halen, and his energetic presence on stage.

He met the Van Halen brothers while he attended Pasadena City College. David joined their band, which was called Mammoth, before the band changed its name to Van Halen.

After gaining traction in the Los Angeles area and releasing their debut album called Van Halen in 1978, the band became nationally known.

David was born in Indiana and moved to Pasadena, California, in his early teens.

After his first stint with Van Halen, the musician embarked in his solo career. He released the his debut solo EP, Eat ‘Em and and Smile, which sold over two million copies in the US and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard top 200.

He rejoined Van Halen twice since he left the band. The group officially disbanded in 2020 after Eddie died of cancer.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 as a member of Van Halen.

Although David’s career was primarily music, he did other things. In the late 1990s, he trained as an EMT and went on more than 200 ambulance rides. He also appeared on The Sopranos TV series, and hosted a radio talk show in 2006, dubbed The David Lee Roth Show. Since the age of 12, David has been a martial artist.

He created INK the Original, a full line of skincare products made specifically for tattooed skin, with tattoo artist Ami James, in 2018. David also draws and paints, as a visual artist.

David announced he will retire in January 2022 after performing a slew of shows.

“I know that when I am in the audience, whether you come out with a ukulele or a marching band, all I ask you give me everything you’ve got to give,” he said about his retirement.

“That’s what I did for the last 50 years,” he continued.

David Lee Roth

David Lee Roth is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter and former radio personality.

(born October 10, 1954)

Best known for his wild, energetic stage persona, he was the lead singer of the hard rock band Van Halen across three stints, from 1974 to 1985, in 1996 and again from 2006 to their disbandment in 2020.

He was also known as a successful solo artist, releasing numerous RIAA-certified Gold and Platinum albums.

After more than two decades apart, Roth re-joined Van Halen in 2006 for a North American tour that became the highest-grossing in the band’s history and one of the highest-grossing of that year.

In 2012, Roth and Van Halen released the comeback album A Different Kind of Truth. In 2007, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen.

Eddie Van Halen

Edward Lodewijk Van Halen , was an American musician and songwriter.

January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020)

He was the main songwriter and guitarist of the American rock band Van Halen, which he co-founded in 1972 with his brother, drummer Alex Van Halen, bassist Mark Stone, and singer David Lee Roth.

He is regarded as one of the all-time greatest guitar players in rock history and was well known for popularizing the tapping guitar solo technique, allowing rapid arpeggios to be played with two hands on the fretboard.