Paul Rodgers has confirmed he turned down an invitation to sing on Van Halen’s proposed farewell album, adding another twist to one of rock’s most closely watched unfinished projects.
As drummer Alex Van Halen presses ahead with plans to complete the late Eddie Van Halen’s final recordings, conflicting signals from the band’s inner circle — including founding bass guitarist Michael Anthony — underscore both the ambition of the effort and the unresolved questions surrounding how, or whether, it should be finished.
Alex Van Halen is attempting to shape a final album from material recorded before Eddie’s death in 2020, originally intended as the follow-up to the band’s 2012 comeback, A Different Kind of Truth. He had briefly explored using artificial intelligence to complete the recordings but has instead enlisted Eddie’s longtime friend Steve Lukather to help bring the music to completion.
Lukather, however, quickly clarified after news of his involvement leaked that he would not be contributing new guitar parts.
Thanks to Van Halen for inviting me to work on a track with them, but I am in my acoustic, zen phase of life.”
— Paul Rodgers
Alex recently said the search is underway for a vocalist, with classic-era frontmen David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar both believed to be out of contention.
Rodgers’ own comments suggest he was approached — but passed.
“Thanks to Van Halen for inviting me to work on a track with them,” he wrote on X. “But I am in my acoustic, zen phase of life.”The singer, best known for his work with Bad Company, also used the post to downplay health concerns that kept him from attending the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last November.
Rodgers’ decision leaves the project without a confirmed vocalist — and Anthony believes that may be for the best.
“The way I personally feel about it is, if they wanted to do it justice, [the best idea would be] to just finish it up as a great instrumental nod to Eddie,” he told Cleveland radio station WNCX (via Ultimate Classic Rock).
Anthony, who appeared on every Van Halen studio album except their most recent — after being replaced by Eddie’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen — has long advocated for unreleased archival material to surface as a tribute to Eddie’s legacy. But he cautioned that adding vocals now could complicate and delay the process.
“We’re not forming a new band,” he said. “Then you’ve got to work on lyrics and all that stuff. And who knows when anything would be put out at that point.”
If they wanted to do it justice, [the best idea would be] to just finish it up as a great instrumental nod to Eddie.”
— Michael Anthony
Rodgers’ reference to being invited to sing on “a track,” rather than the entire album, raises the possibility that multiple vocalists could appear — or that prospective singers are being tested on individual songs rather than formally recruited.
Anthony’s own language is similarly ambiguous. His shifting use of “we” and “they” reflects both his historic stake in the recordings and his uncertain role in their completion, particularly as some of the demos under consideration date back to sessions he originally played on.
What remains clear is that Alex Van Halen is determined to finish the music he and his brother left behind. Whether that final statement arrives as a fully realized rock album or a purely instrumental farewell remains an open — and deeply symbolic — question.
