“He couldn’t handle the fact that Eddie was getting more attention than he was. He kept asking Eddie to play fewer guitar solos”: Alex Van Halen reveals the real reason David Lee Roth quit Van Halen

Van Halen backstage in Atlanta, February 1984.

In Brothers – Alex Van Halen's eulogy to Eddie Van Halen – the Van Halen drummer captures the push-and-pull dynamic between lead singer David Lee Roth and the two brothers. Among other revelations, he discloses the reason why Roth formally parted ways with the band following the dizzying success of Jump and 1984.

“He couldn’t handle the fact that Eddie was getting more attention than he was,” Alex writes. “He kept asking Eddie to play fewer guitar solos. Dave was convinced he was going to be a movie star.”