Van Halen let go of its original vocalist, David Lee Roth, when he left in 1985.
Sammy Hagar took Roth's position after the vocalist left Van Halen until 1996. Fans already noticed that the band was being divided because of Eddie Van Halen and Roth's musical styles, although the latter was the first one to let go.
Why Did David Lee Roth Leave Van Halen?
Medium.com detailed the time when Van Halen needed to shoot the photo as part of its then-upcoming new album, "Women and Children First." Roth then led the search for a photographer and eventually found Helmut Newton.
On the day of the shoot, the photographer and his assistants kept taking photos of the vocalist.
"Helmut didn't much like the other band members. So he took some of the other guys but ended up shooting all of these pictures of David," Warner Bros. art director Richard Seireeni said.
The same thing happened the following day, leading to a dispute between Roth and the Van Halen brothers as the latter accused the singer of trying to "hijack the album cover."
There were also suggestions that Eddie did not initially want Roth but soon asked him to join the band as he thought it would be "cheaper" to do so as they were renting his PA gear.
After Roth left, he returned in 2007 until the end of the band's stint.
The vocalist recently performed Van Halen classics at Oracle CloudWorld 2023 in Las Vegas on Wednesday, September 20, with the all-star covers band Royal Machines. The other members include Darryl McDaniels, Chris Chaney, Billy Morrison, Shirley Manson, Paul Trudeau, Tommy Clufetos and Dexter Holland, to name a few.
It came after he released his song, "Pointing At The Moon," in July 2022.
READ ALSO: Eddie Van Halen Tribute Concert Has NOT Happened Yet Years After Musician's Death - Here's Why
Van Halen Almost Changed Its Name
Ex-bassist Michael Anthony said in an interview with Steve Gorman Rocks! that Van Halen wanted to change its name after Roth quit.
"Warner Brothers wanted us to change the name of the band," he continued. "I remember Eddie and Alex, we were at Warner Brothers, and they were yelling, going, 'Hey, hey, this is our last name. This is our career. And we're Van Halen.'"
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