![David Lee Roth: ‘I’m Retiring’](https://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2021/10/attachment-DLR.jpeg?w=980&q=75)
David Lee Roth: ‘I’m Retiring’
David Lee Roth appears to be calling it a career.
“I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” Roth confessed during a phone conversation with Las Vegas Review Journal. “This is the first, and only, official announcement. … You’ve got the news. Share it with the world.”
The iconic singer, best known for his years fronting Van Halen, still has a handful of shows on his schedule which he plans to honor. The rocker will head to Las Vegas for performances at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Jan. 5 and Jan. 7-8. He later extended the run with additional dates on Jan. 14-15 and 21-22, 2022.
“I’m not going to explain the statement,” Diamond Dave continued. “The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows.”
The rocker further noted that he’d been keeping in contact with drummer Alex Van Halen. “Al and I have been talking, and I can’t speak for him just yet,” Roth said, noting that Alex knew about the singer’s announcement. Roth added that the former bandmates “speak to each other constantly, two or three times a day. We laugh like pirates.”
The legendary frontman also admitted he’d been thinking a lot about “the departure of my beloved classmate recently,” a reference to guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who died on Oct. 6, 2020.
“I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter,” Roth explained, pondering his own mortality. “I thought I might have been the first, frankly,” the singer confessed. “And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go onstage, I endanger that future.”
“I’ve given you all I’ve got to give,” Roth explained. “It’s been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody.”
Listen to David Lee Roth's Full Statement
Van Halen Albums Ranked
More From Ultimate Classic Rock
![Top 20 Van Halen and Solo Songs From the ’90s](http://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2024/07/attachment-VanHalen90s.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Sammy Hagar 2024 Tour Roundtable: Is This the Best of All Worlds?](http://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2024/07/attachment-sammy-hagar-joe-satriani-scott-dudelson-getty-images.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![When Van Halen Opening Act Saw Eddie Assault Sammy Hagar Onstage](http://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2016/02/Sammy-Hagar-and-Eddie-Van-Halen.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Sammy Hagar Launches Van Halen-Focused 2024 Tour: Video, Set List](http://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2021/10/attachment-gettyimages-87862892-e1699974252208.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Sammy Hagar: ‘This Is the Thank You Tour’ for Van Halen Fans](http://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2024/07/attachment-sammy-20231.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Sammy Hagar Says He’s ‘Way Over’ PTSD From 2004 Van Halen Tour](http://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2024/07/attachment-GettyImages-107756182.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Sammy Hagar Adds Fifth Band Member to 2024 Van Halen-Focused Tour](http://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2024/07/attachment-SammyRai.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Have Fans Redeemed ‘Van Halen III’ With Their New Version?](http://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2018/03/VH3.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Watch Wolfgang and Mr. Bungle Play Van Halen’s ‘Loss of Control’](http://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2024/06/attachment-WVH-mr-bungle.jpg?w=980&q=75)