Michael Anthony says he never had a chance to reconcile with Eddie Van Halen

Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony has revealed he never had the chance to reconcile with Eddie Van Halen before the guitar legend's death in October 2020.

On the latest episode of the Talkin' Rock With Meltdown podcast, Anthony was asked about the last time he spoke to the late guitar icon. 

He replied, “We actually hadn't spoken [for many years], and unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to. And, you know, it kind of bothers me, because we had some issues that were never resolved. But, I mean, what can you do? We were on track [for] a reunion, which I'm really sad that it never happened. But, you know, life and the show goes on.”

Anthony also recalled the first time he saw Eddie Van Halen live. "We were just out of high school, and in the city where I lived, they were having a carnival on the field for the school,” he said. “And on the weekends, they would have a few local bands play.” 

“It was just the three guys – Eddie, Mark Stone [original Van Halen bassist] and Alex [Van Halen]. And Eddie was doing the singing also. That's the first time I ever saw him play. 

“I remember I was impressed because they played – they must've played the whole Who Live at Leeds or whatever, or any of the classic Cream stuff they played, Eddie played the lead stuff note for note. And back then, when you're a kid like that, that's very impressive to see somebody playing like that.”

Eddie Van Halen passed away last October at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer. His death prompted a huge outpouring of grief from the guitar community.

Back in November, Wolfgang Van Halen revealed that his father was planning a “kitchen sink” reunion tour with Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, David Lee Roth and Gary Cherone.

Prior to this, Anthony had not been on good terms with Van Halen for over a decade, and was not invited to join the band's 2007 reunion with David Lee Roth, which subsequently spawned two tours and one studio album, 2012's A Different Kind of Truth.