David Lee Roth kicked off his Las Vegas residency on Wednesday night, and in a pre-show interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the singer reported that his Van Halen bandmate Eddie Van Halen is “not doing well.”
When talking about his decision to book a Vegas residency while Van Halen’s status remains uncertain, Roth said, “Ed’s not doing well, and singing and dancing is a perishable skill. If you have the capacity, it’s something that has to be used routinely, if not for the thrill of it and the magic of creating with other incandescent spirits.”
According to an October report by TMZ, Eddie Van Halen has been battling throat cancer. The guitarist apparently has been flying to Germany for radiation treatment over the past five years. A more recent report revealed that Eddie was hospitalized in November for complications he sustained while taking cancer-fighting medication. The new health issues follow a battle with tongue cancer in the early 2000s.
While there’s no official word on the status of Van Halen, Roth said “I think Van Halen is finished” back in September.
(Read: Previously Unheard Version of Van Halen’s “Runnin’ With the Devil” Surfaces)
Roth’s kickoff show at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay featured the veteran singer performing his Van Halen and solo hits, including “Dance the Night Away”, “Panama”, “Jump”, “Just a Gigolo”, and “California Girls”.
In addition to his Vegas residency, which takes place this month and in March, Roth has also signed on to open for KISS on all the 2020 North American shows of the latter band’s farewell tour. Get tickets to all of his upcoming dates here.