Michael Anthony says he never got to reconnect with Eddie Van Halen before his passing in 2020. The two rock stars had a falling out after Eddie replaced Michael in Van Halen with his son, Wolfgang Van Halen, back in 2006. In a new interview on the Sally Steele Rocks Show Anthony says they never mended their relationship.
“No, unfortunately, Eddie and I never had a chance to really settle any differences that we had in the past or whatever,” he shares. But he says getting to see Wolfgang and his band Mammoth WVH when they played the House of Blues in Las Vegas in 2023 helped heal some issues.
“I went to the show as his guest. And we talked, we sat and talked, and there was a lot of closure for me there,” Anthony says, noting Wolf’s mom, Eddie’s ex Valerie Bertinelli, was also there. “So it was a great night.”
Anthony says he and Wolfgang have “always been friends,” even though Wolfgang replaced him in Van Halen, noting that he doesn’t think Wolf really wanted the job.
“Eddie, he wanted to play with his son. The way I kind of feel is that Wolfgang probably wasn’t excited, really, about being in Van Halen,” he says. “That’s why in his band, he doesn’t play any Van Halen, ’cause he wants to carve out his own niche. But just to be able to get up and play with his father, I can totally understand that.”
He adds, “But no, I love Wolfie, man. I hadn’t seen him in, like, 20 years. I went to the show, it was great. We had a great time, great hangout.”
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